As a player and coach how long have you been involved in Sydney Grade Cricket now known as NSW Premier Cricket?
20 years playing, 9 years coaching
What’s the role of a head coach at a Premier Cricket Club and how do you define success?
I see the Head Coach role as that which creates an environment that nurtures success and enjoyment for club, team and individual, in that order.
Week to week the Head Coach is responsible for running the playing side of the club and everything that goes with that. Training sessions, communication with players, coaches, volunteers and other resources.
Working closely with the Captains and the leadership group to ensure success. Success can be measured on many levels. Success for me personally translates to silverware however witnessing individual success is one of the more rewarding parts of the role.
There seems to be quite a difference between the coaching structures at each club, what level of assistance do you have at your respective clubs?
Our structure at Manly is quite comprehensive. In addition to the Head Coach and Assistant Coach we have 3 batting coaches, a bowling coach, a fielding coach, a throwing coach, physio/S&C, net coordinator, PG Coach, Green Shield Coach and GS Assistant Coach. We’re also very lucky to have between four and six volunteers helping out at training sessions. We also have a Women’s Head and Assistant Coaches.
As experienced coaches what are you looking for in a player to help them become better players?
Put simply a desire to improve coupled with commitment and good work ethic. .
As a coach and influencer in the club, what role do you play in not only identifying the talent of say a 15 or 16 year old but then help them progress through the grades whilst ensuring other are aware of the long term plans?
We have a comprehensive pathway program in place to capture our emerging talented players at a very early stage of their development. This pathway fills 90% of our 5th grade side which is captained by an experienced player. Once they are part of the 5th grade setup they naturally fall under the coaching structure previously mentioned. This ensures their continued development and all parties are included in communicating future plans for the player.
What’s been the highlight of your coaching career to date?
Probably season 2014/15 when we won the Club Championship, 1st and 3rd grade premierships. We also played in 4 of the 5 grand finals that year so there was equal disappointment.
The 2019/20 season is only a couple of weeks away what goals have you set for the club and respective grades for this season.
In order to have Club success we need team success and in order to have team success we need individual success. Our concentration has been on individual goal setting to create that success. We’ve sat down with each player and reviewed and rewritten their individual training regimes, agreed on their strengths and weaknesses and set tailored batting and bowling goals. These goals are shared across all coaches, are monitored during the season and if necessary, adjusted. In other words if a batter has set 2 centuries for the season and completes that goal it is increased.
We obviously ensure that the players don’t concentrate on these outcomes and stick to their processes.
The coach’s goals are 9 premierships and the Club Championship.
Can you name 3 players within the club you think are ready for a big season?
No, they’re all my kids
Styleness is a proud sponsor of Manly Warringah Cricket Club
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