Marsh Cup: Thunder BBL coach Shawn Bradstreet from NRL royalty

He comes from rugby league royalty and was a promising player himself. So how did Shawn Bradstreet end up playing and then coaching in another sport completely?

Oliver Davies being presented his Blues cap by Shawn Bradstreet during the Marsh One Day Cup match against Victoria at North Sydney Oval in February.

His father played rugby league for Australia and his brother cut it up in the NRL. But Shawn Bradstreet has found a home and coaching role he loves in another sport completely.

And it’s his advice to young players in the game of cricket which could leave as lasting a legacy as anyone in his talented sporting family.

Bradstreet has just finished a season as assistant coach with the Sydney Thunder and is now taking on the same role for NSW Cricket with the Marsh Cup one day side.

Bill Bradstreet (L) and Angelo Crema in dressing room following the first test of the Australia v Great Britain series at SCG in Sydney in 1966.

A former captain of NSW himself, Bradstreet was also a talented rugby league player before choosing cricket over a potential NRL career.

Bradstreet’s father Bill is a former Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s for Manly Warringah.

Brother Darren played for the Illawarra Steelers in the NRL and the London Broncos in the UK.

Manly grade player Shawn after his selection for NSW in 1998.

Darren Bradstreet playing for Illawarra against Manly in 1997.

“I came from a massive league family but I only started playing because all my friends were doing it,’’ said the Manly Warringah cricket club member and father of four.

“I was playing juniors reps for Manly but I either needed to bulk up or lean down for my fast bowling in cricket.

“I made a decision at 15 and decided to got for cricket because I had a real passion for it.

“It was well supported by the family, I definitely don’t regret it.

“What I have been part of in cricket has been amazing, captaining NSW and being involved with Thunder in the BBL.’’

Bradstreet can draw on his own mixed fortunes as a player for his coaching roles with the northern beaches builder tasting success as a teenager but also suffering from stress fractures in his back which hindered his rep career for some years.

Thunder and Marsh Cup assistant coach Shawn Bradstreet.

“I stopped bowling for four years,’’ said Bradstreet, who has a close relationship with rising star Ollie Davies, who made his debut for NSW in the March Cup against Victoria a week ago.

“Having been bought into the state squad as a 19-year-old I know the stress and pressure you put on yourself. I try and help with the internal pressure.

“Then not representing until my mid 20s, I can talk to the youth guys about not being in a rush. Everyone wants that so quickly.

“If I sense with the young fellas they are putting pressure on themselves I tell them how important a life away is, even a part time job.

“One of the challenges is being able to talk to them about life away from cricket.’’

NSW’s next outing of the Marsh One Day Cup is against Adelaide on March 4.

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