Australian cricket must take lead from Queensland rugby league to improve performance
AUSSIE cricket must reach for the same broom used by the Queensland rugby league team 16 years ago to sweep itself out of the doldrums, writes Ben Dorries.
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RED-FACED Aussie cricket must reach for the same broom used by the Queensland rugby league team 16 years ago to sweep itself out of the doldrums.
Much like cricket now, Queensland at State of Origin level had reached its lowest ebb in 2000.
Once masters of their domain, worshipped by fans, dripping with stars and unstoppable on the field, Queensland’s insipid performances during the 2000 series pushed the Origin concept to the brink of collapse.
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Hammered 3-0 in a series whitewash, the Maroons were destroyed by NSW 56-16 in Game 3 of that series – at that time the biggest loss in Origin history.
Queensland was so bad in that series, the Maroons were openly mocked on the field by their opponents – Bryan Fletcher’s “hand grenade” post-try celebration still burns like acid for the players and fans forced to watch it.
All of the fables about Queensland spirit and a never-say-die approach were swept aside by a tsunami of humiliation and ineptitude.
The team from that series was not short of talent. Among the players wearing Maroon that year were names like Lockyer, Tallis, Sailor, Webcke, Lam, Thorn and Rogers.
But something had to change. The entire Origin concept – now a billion-dollar money spinner for the game – depended on it.
What was delivered was not just a new coat of paint. It was a complete rebuild.
The coach and two-thirds of the selection panel – which included the legendary Arthur Beetson – were moved on.
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Wayne Bennett was brought back to be the figurehead of Queensland Rugby League’s reconstruction.
The Queensland Academy of Sport program was developed to create the talent needed for the years ahead.
The Emerging Origin program was developed, to help bring fringe Origin players up to speed with the culture and expectations required of Queensland players.
A broom was put through the playing ranks – in the first game of the 2001 series, 10 players were handed their Queensland debuts. By the end of the series, that number had swollen to 12 – nearly an entire team.
And when the series was still alive heading in to the Game 3 decider, the Maroons called back Allan Langer from England to bring the experience and magic needed to make the difference.
It worked. After hitting rock bottom in 2000, Queensland were the 2001 series champions.
But it was not a quick fix: After drawing the 2002 series, Queensland would lose the next three in a row.
Another overhaul was needed, but this time the foundations for revolution were already in place.
The talent-development programs put in place at the end of 2000 meant a new batch of young stars was ready to step up when rookie coach Mal Meninga took over for 2006.
A decade on, the Maroons have been beaten in a series just once.
Cricket must now follow the same copybook. They must start from scratch.
The first step is to give high-profile officials like James Sutherland and Pat Howard their marching orders.
CA CEO Sutherland has been in charge since 2001. What other sporting chief in any code has survived that long?
Howard has also messed it all up and has much to answer for. His job title is high-performance manager but there has been none of that from this Aussie team.
The selection panel is out of touch and Rod Marsh should never have been appointed.
He was happily retired and hadn’t been to many games in years.
The fact he overlooked fast bowler Jackson Bird for Test selection because of his No.11 batting says it all.
Australian cricket is awash with rivers of gold (thanks to the Big Bash) but the system is broken.
Not only is our Test side an embarrassment, but our once envied Sheffield Shield competition is nothing like it once was.
Up-and-coming Aussie first-class cricketers rarely face Test quality players like they used to at least a few times a season.
These days, the other Shield youngsters mostly face other up-and-comers. It hardly toughens them up.
The policy of rest and rotation, where fast bowlers spend more time with their feet up than bowling in matches, needs to be scrapped. Sports science has gone mad. The tail is wagging the dog.
Australian Cricket has a sparkling $29 million Centre Of Excellence in Brisbane, complete with all the hi-tech bells and whistles. But it isn’t producing much excellence at all. Long-form batting techniques are getting worse.
Cricket officials clearly have to spend more time on the next generation of Test stars before their techniques turn to seed.
More youngsters should be sent to English county cricket to grow their experiences, much like the young Origin league players are brought into emerging camps.
The woeful series loss to South Africa must be the line-in-the-sand moment for Australian cricket.
It is only mid-November and the calls have already gone out to start the NRL season early to get rid of this rubbish cricket on our TV sets.
Fresh faces, fresh voices and fresh ideas are needed to start the long road back towards Aussie cricket glory days.
Originally published as Australian cricket must take lead from Queensland rugby league to improve performance
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