Originally from the Broadmeadows Falcons in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association, the 19-year-old will make the move to the Dandenong Panthers this summer to be their No. 1 glove man in the elite metropolitan competition.

The Aitken College graduate was plucked out of the Essendon seconds, where he was the understudy to the high-profile Brent Hutchinson.

He is ready to take the next step in his cricket career.

"I'm excited to start preseason," he said. "It should be a really good experience.

"If I didn't feel as though I was ready I wouldn't have gone. Hopefully, it's the start of something bigger - it's good to be able to play at a higher level."

Collins was a permanent fixture in the Falcons' firsts for three seasons.

Keeping to quality spinners Steve Goodwin and Geoff Turner has provided him with valuable experience.

"It was a really good grounding there," he said.

"They gave me a good opportunity."

Player-coach Goodwin is noted for his promotion of youngsters.

Without his influence, it's safe to say that Collins could not have accelerated so quickly.

He moved to Essendon and received training from Hutchinson, veteran all-rounder Craig Berger and coach Darren Cullen.

"Essendon was good to me," Collins said. "Both clubs were great."

The travel factor from Collins' Glenroy home will be less of an issue, as his pharmaceutical science study and exams at RMIT University in Bundoora will be out of the way once the summer of cricket hits.