The left-arm paceman, who will line up for his third Big Bash side this year after making the switch from Perth, said the Thunder's poor record not only hurt the team's confidence but had also built belief among the opposition.

The Thunder have won three of their 23 games, suffered a 19-game losing streak and finished last in each of the three Big Bash editions.

"Everyone that plays cricket knows once you're in a slump it can be difficult to get out of," Lalor said.

"So you know if you're playing a team that is 0-6 as opposed to 6-0 the other team is going to be in the fight for a lot longer, whereas with 0-6 it's a lot easier to fall into that cycle of making the wrong decisions in games and sometimes you use the phrase you can let that team beat themselves.

"That's more the attitude teams are taking into games, that they can apply as much pressure as they can until things went the other way. That wouldn't just happen to the Thunder because they finished last last year but also the team that's finished second last. It's just that the Thunder have been there more consistently.

"It's a new year, you start off with a win and you don't know where you can head from there."

Hopes have been raised with the signings of Michael Hussey and Eoin Morgan last year followed by the additions of South African great Jacques Kallis and boom youngster Pat Cummins for the fourth edition of the league.

The Thunder won just one game last season after a winter of massive upheaval off the field but were more competitive than in previous tournaments.

"Once you win the close games, it's easier to win the close ones. It just seemed like they lost a lot of the close ones," Lalor said.

"Speaking to a lot of the boys in the team who we play with at NSW with they seem really positive with the direction the team is taking.

"The goal this season for the Thunder is not to be merely competitive and climb off the bottom but reaching the finals.

"In an eight-team competition where half the teams make the final I think the expectations have to be finals cricket.

"Once you're there, you have to play the best cricket on the day and that's the same with the other seven teams in the Big Bash. If you're aiming for any lower than that then I'm not sure what you're doing."

The club will have its third coach in as many seasons this year – South African Paddy Upton has replaced Chandika Hathurusingha, who has become coach of Bangladesh.