LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET
By LIAM DURKIN
FOR once Stuart Anderson wasn’t the only AFL premiership player at Collegians Cricket Club.
Former West Coast player and Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna was in Sale on Sunday, October 9, although this time, educating players of a different kind.
McKenna has not let his sacking from Gold Coast in 2014 stop him coaching – he has simply taken up another sport, and is now Cricket Victoria’s Coach and Talent Specialist.
Far from the glitz and glamour of the AFL, McKenna came to the region to facilitate a Community (Level 1) Coaching Course for local cricketers.
Clubs across Gippsland were represented.
The course was tailored to coaching junior players and teaching the fundamentals of the game.
McKenna explained a number of important facets involved in coaching young players, such as the need to speak loudly when addressing the group, and keeping training sessions fun and engaging.
According to McKenna, a key part of the ‘Australian’ way of coaching was getting players
to do what a coach wanted them to do, as opposed to the coach telling a player how they should be doing something.
The man known as Bluey also said it was important young players were given a chance to
problem solve.
For instance, in a basic fielding drill, a young player throwing the ball seam up will hopefully, over time, realise the risks involved (throwing the ball seam up makes it swing dangerously), and thus change to throwing cross-seam.
He also broke down some common truisms about cricket, generally thought to belong in the ‘hard and fast’ category, such as the non-striker calling if the ball went behind the striker.
However, as McKenna explained, did that not go against the first principle kids are taught about ‘watching the ball’?
As part of the course, participants were given a set of tasks to complete in small coaching teams, and then explain their approach in front of McKenna and the rest of the group.
Upon completion, (which included an online component), those who took part became accredited Level 1 coaches.
From here, the opportunity is there to progress to Level 2 in 12 months’ time, and then to further levels that carry strict prerequisites.
While McKenna said coaching at state level cricket was certainly “a different pace” to the
AFL, the transition from one to the other had been smooth.
“Coaching is coaching, it is all about communication,” he said.
“From a training point of view it’s maximising time on the tools, balls in hands, bats in hands, gloves in hands, fielding, all those concepts of cricket to maximise at training.
“They (players) get confident, they get competent, and they become better cricketers.
“From a coaching point of view, like football, cricket, softball, netball, it’s engaging, it’s fun.”
Although he is no longer coaching at the highest level, McKenna said working with young cricketers was comparable to his time at Gold Coast.
“The problem with Gold Coast when I had them was they were still young, they were always young,” he said.
“Even Gippsland Cricket found this out last year when there was seven bottom-agers playing in the YPL (Youth Premier League), they just won’t be able to compete for as long in a game of cricket and don’t have the consistency like an older boy would.
“Now this year, looking at the squad, you can see how more consistent and bigger they are physically, so they can play for longer and play more consistently, that is going to allow them to win more games.
“Football is no different, you’ve got a team full of kids, they are going to play like kids – consistently up and down.”
Looking back, McKenna’s sacking from Gold Coast is surprising considering he won 10 games in his final year. No Gold Coast coach has been able to do better since.
The man himself was willing to put it all in perspective.
“No one wants to be sacked – but that happens,” he said.
“There is only two types of AFL coaches: Ones that have been sacked and ones that are about to be sacked.
“You learn from experiences and make yourself better for the next experience, and in this case it is Cricket Victoria.”
Sporting stars all year round
Some who have excelled at cricket and football
Locally
Jake Best: Played VFL seniors/captained Casey South Melbourne firsts in Vic Prem Cricket.
Stuart Anderson: Played AFL/played Victorian Premier firsts.
Adrian Burgiel: Drafted to Richmond/scored 20 first grade centuries in TDCA and SMCA.
From McKenna
Karl Langdon: West Coast premiership player/played cricket for Australia Under 16s.
Todd Breman: Played AFL for West Coast and Richmond/played 10 first class games.
Peter Sumich: Kicked over 500 goals for West Coast/played for Australia Under 19s.
Craig Bradley: Carlton games record holder/played first class cricket in SA.
