Victorian coach Chris Rogers on craft, Test ambitions and the future

In the early stages of pre-season, Chris Rogers throws more than makeshift off-spinners – he tosses up forgotten craft and a vision beyond the state boundary.

It’s a brisk Wednesday morning in July and Victorian coach Chris Rogers throws balls to three young batters.

“Yes. Yes. Awesome!” he shouts as they use their feet and punch the ball down the ground.

Rogers says “the Michael Clarke skill” of skipping down the wicket is almost a lost art in cricket and he wants to reinstate it in some of his young Vics.

He opted for the Junction Oval outfield over the “unrealistic” and “robotic” indoor nets, as the outdoors replicates the challenges of a wicket.

They are just two pieces of cricket “craft” Rogers loves as coach and hopes they will take his players closer to Sheffield Shield titles and then Test matches for Australia.

Rogers is entering a fourth season as Victorian coach with big plans for the short and long term.

Right now, he’s eager to watch the host of young batters and bowlers flourish through the ranks.

Over time, he wants each player to eventually raise a glass to their careers with little regret.

“We have strategy sessions on Tuesday mornings and what I want is the players to get the absolute most out of themselves so that they sit on a bar stool maybe when they’re 50 and reflect, look back and think, ‘Yeah, I got the most out of my talent’,” Rogers said.

Chris Rogers (left) and Michael Clarke in their final Test match together. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“It’s an interesting one because I will be constantly pushing for improvement and that can lead to confusion because sometimes it’s one step back to go two steps forward.

“When you throw in selection and performance, guys won’t always see the bigger picture because they’re in the moment and that’s fair enough.

“That’s something I have to be aware of in finding the right moments to push for improvement.

“I just want to see players become the best they can be. It’s finding ways to facilitate that and understanding everyone is going through different things at certain times.”

Rogers (left) talks to Victorian Ashley Chandrasinghe ahead of the 2022-23 Sheffield Shield final. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

To Rogers, there are five pillars to a sound coach: technical, tactical, mental, physical and emotional.

He says he has them in place but is still learning alongside the squad, finding ways to improve from his players and those first-class mentors he had.

“There’s different styles to coaching, I think it’s adapting to different people. Who are the ones who can cope with it? Who are the ones who need to be a bit simpler?” he said.

“That’s what you learn as you go along the way. I was probably a bit more rigid with my thinking through my initial stages of coaching.

“I’m probably learning that skill of adapting to different players now, but from the outset I always had a curious nature.

“I reckon through my playing career I had 13 or 14 first-class coaches and the trick is probably try to pick out the things you like and the things you can improve.

“It’s the same as with playing, you’re always searching to get better, always thinking, ‘There’s more I can learn’.”

Victorian Peter Handscomb (left) after being presented his baggy green. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

A dilemma beyond Rogers’ five pillars emerges every summer: Sheffield Shield titles or Test representation?

They often don’t align – one tends to stand taller than the other – but he insists they are of equal importance to Victoria.

“I don’t think Victoria has had the greatest success when it comes to producing Australian players and that’s strong motivation for the organisation,” he said.

“The joy of seeing Scotty Boland take 6-7 is something that I think we would dearly love to see more of, to have guys wearing the baggy green and playing.

“Victorian born-and-bred batters who have played more than seven Tests and played in the last 40 years adds up to two and that’s (Matthew) Elliott and (Peter) Handscomb, and neither of those average 40 in Test cricket.

“So there’s a real desire for us to be better in that space, but whenever a Victorian side walks over the rope – try telling them they’re not playing for a Shield victory.

“I think it’s a real fine balance. You’re trying to develop players and getting them to play for Australia but equally want that to go hand-in-hand with success for Victoria.”

There’s a ‘real balance’ between Sheffield Shield titles and Test representation under Rogers. Picture: Sam Richards (Cricket Victoria)

Rogers is in the final year of his contract with the Vics, but he hopes his journey is far from finished.

Much like the young batters hitting spin in July, Rogers is laying the foundations for a “bigger job”.

“I would like to see this journey through, particularly with our young bats at the moment,” he said.

“Even some of the bowlers we’ve had a lot of investment in over the last couple of years, then probably just trying to keep improving to a point where I think I could do an even bigger job, a national job or something like that.

“But you’ve got to have confidence and belief you can do that and that’s probably what I am working towards.”

Originally published as Victorian coach Chris Rogers on craft, Test ambitions and the future