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Domestic cricket, it's bloody awesome. It's bloody awesome because you get to see a variety of cricketers at different stages of their careers. We harp on a fair bit about the youngsters, so it's only right to give props to the veterans ... not just the veterans but the alpha dawgs. The lads who you could laugh at for not really carrying their domestic ability in to the international arena for whatever reason, but are domestic beasts.

Michael Papps - In each of the past two seasons, Papps has scored over 800 runs and has averaged 45.00 and 64.69. He's also 35 years of age so he's got the old fine wine thing going on. Papps was on fire last season with the willow with many cricketing folk calling for a Black Caps spot, he'll again be a key figure for the Wellingtonians and hopefully he can put another cracking season together.

Mark Gillespie - Always mentioned as someone who can be called upon to do a job for the Black Caps, to an extent, Gillespie joins Papps in a veteran core for the Firebirds. Gilly (??) took 42 wickets last season at 32.90 and he's the type of bowler who I'm sure many domestic batsmen dislike facing. He's in your face, he's nippy, he's skiddy and he'll put you under the pump. Gillespie, like many of the other lads on this list fall in to that 'too good for domestic cricket, not good enough for a 10 year international career' category. Hopefully we'll see him fired up looking to knock helmets off this season.

Neil Broom - Probably one of my favourite batsmen to be honest, he had a few stints with the Black Caps producing inconsistent results but he's awesome. Since 2008/09, Broom has averaged less than 30 only once and has averaged below 40 only twice. He's a brutish batsmen capable of smacking it to all parts as well as doing pretty much whatever he likes with the willow in hand. With a move to the Canterbury Kings, I'm hoping Broom will get that refreshed vibe and continue to be a alpha omega dawg batsmen guy.

Daniel Flynn - He's one of the leaders of a talented ND Knights side and is easily one of the top 5 batsmen in domestic cricket. He's had various opportunities with the Black Caps but hasn't quite been able to put consistent runs on the board but if there's injuries, he could be a decent option. Last season he averaged 43.05 and is the sort of batsmen who suits domestic cricket down to the ground - he can play in all formats and can get runs in all formats. He'll be a staple of the Knights and should keep them in the mix with a young squad.

Graeme Aldridge - A slightly low key alpha dog, Aldridge is a solid seamer for the Knights. By solid I don't mean - 'he's good but meh', nah I mean he's the lad that the skip can throw the ball to and know what to expect. I mean, in the past 5 seasons Aldridge has only logged less than 25 wickets once (19 in 2012/13) and his average has hovered around 25 consistently. He's the quintessential kiwi seamer with a bit of medium pace and a reliance on consistency and extracting all the goodness from generous kiwi wickets.

Anaru Kitchen - Someone who probably hasn't fulfilled their potential even on the domestic seen, Kitchen is capable of pretty much anything. I can't use stats with Kitchen, they're extremely underwhelming but the fact that in his 6 domestic seasons he's averaged 30 + in every season is ok. It's ok, not a whole lot more than ok when you know that Kitchen could bully almost every domestic attack, but hey what can ya do. Kitchen will hopefully back my gut feels up because he's a damn fine batsman.

Jamie How - If you're a domestic battler with the ball, someone who's still finding their feet at this level of cricket, the last thing you wanna do is bowl to Jamie How. He's a gun on the cover drive and anything short is meat and drink for How, who will be out to put another solid season in the books.

Colin de Grandhomme - In my eyes, CDG is the epitome of domestic cricket alpha dawg. He can absolutely whack a cricket ball as well as being able to craft an innings in the longer formats. His averages for the past 6 seasons read - 51.45, 67.66, 21.07, 70.11, 24.37 and 48.38. Not too shabby huh, even the leaner seasons aren't too bad especially given the way he bats. He's handy with the ball as well taking 30 wickets at 20.80 last season and will form a dynamic partnership with fellow alpha dawg all rounder Colin Munro (who's definitely

DDB