WBBL: Life with the Sydney Sixers as they prepare to play Hobart Hurricanes
Stung by a fourth-straight defeat to Brisbane Heat, the Sydney Sixers regroup for a road trip to Tasmania. Jocelyn Airth goes behind the scenes for their clash with the Hurricanes.
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Jocelyn Airth goes behind the scenes with the Sydney Sixers WBBL team as they prepare for and play a chilly encounter agains the Hobart Hurricanes.
MONDAY
12.15pm: The Sixers are still hurting after their fourth consecutive loss to reigning champion the Brisbane Heat when they turn up to the team meeting at the SCG. Assistant coach Leah Poulton begins the post-mortem. The former Australian cricketer shows video of blunders from the weekend and dissects the side’s batting strategy. Lauren Smith and Stella Campbell scribble down notes. Head coach Ben Sawyer shifts the focus forward: “We’ve got five games in 10 days, this is what we’re here for.” Alyssa Healy and Ash Gardner are vocal — the Sixers can play better cricket. Erin Burns then lightens the mood with her regular roast-like “player of the week” PowerPoint presentation.
12.55pm: Sixers media manager Dave Lyall takes 17-year-old Campbell to her first media call. “Remember, it’s not live TV, it’s OK if you stuff up, just start your sentence again,” Lyall reassures her. Campbell passes with flying colours.
1pm: Training starts. Injured bowler Lauren Cheatle picks up cones.
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TUESDAY
5.45am: Players are woken by a text message from team manager Elle Thompson. Their flight from Sydney to Melbourne has been cancelled and everyone must check in 30 minutes earlier than expected.
7.45am: All players have checked in and passed through security. Sawyer, Lyall, assistant coach Poulton, GM Jodie Hawkins, physio Kate Leslie and strength and conditioning coach Sean Hardy congregate at the Qantas lounge for coffee and toasties. Poulton is formatting a Powerpoint presentation on the Hurricanes bowlers. Healy and Sarah Aley join her – they’re already talking tactics.
8.10am: Players meet at their gate. South African import Dane Van Niekerk is still over the moon that her beloved Springboks have won the Rugby World Cup.
8.40pm: Players board the plane. Poulton puts videos of Hobart’s bowlers in the group chat — homework for the flight.
9.15am
The woman in 15D chews off Jodie Hicks’ ear — but she’s happy to chat.
10.50am: Touch down in Melbourne. Players relax in the Qantas lounge. Aley, 35, chats to 17-year-old Alisha Bates about the importance of making community appearances. Lyall calls Van Niekerk over for a quick phone interview. Ellyse Perry sits with Hardy.
Noon: The flight from Melbourne to Launceston is bumpy — everyone’s relieved to touch down.
1.33pm: Players wait patiently for their kits to appear on the magic carpet at Launceston airport. Members of the public spot Perry and whisper to each other, “look, it’s the Australian captain”.
1.45pm: Players drag their kits outside and they’re immediately greeted with icy Tasmanian wind. Hardy and Hicks lug everyone’s kits into a van. Sawyer and Healy volunteer to drive two vans. Lyall is roped into driving the third.
2pm: Check-in at the Mantra. Players grab sushi from around the corner and head up to their rooms.
2.45pm: The team assembles in the foyer and heads out to Invermay Park for training.
3pm: Players hit the ground running. Hardy leads a warm-up with a rugby drill — it’s the young’uns verses the oldies. Unsurprisingly, everyone has exceptionally fast and accurate passes. Hicks reckons they’d make a great AFL team. Gardner heads straight into the nets with Poulton. Healy is next. And young Maddy Darke. The bowlers practice with the exception of South African Marizanne Kapp — she never bowls the day before a match. Leslie performs massages — not the relaxing kind.
5pm: Sawyer, Healy and Lyall drive everyone back to the hotel.
5.30pm: Team meeting at the hotel. Slight technical difficulties with the television screen. Healy to the rescue – she fiddles with a few chords and suddenly Poulton’s Powerpoint is up on screen. It’s Burns’ turn to analyse the opposing bowlers. Campbell takes notes. Sawyer then dissects Hobart’s batters. Cricket brains Perry, Gardner and Healy put their two cents in.
6pm: Recovery massage session.
7pm: Hayley Silver-Holmes and Bates order UberEats (Thai). Kappie and Van Niekerk get dinner with the Hurricanes’ resident South African Chloe Tryon. Hardy and Perry head to Geronimo. They’re part of the ‘Fine Dining Club’ — Healy and Burns have been known to join them in the past. The staff grab a feed at the pub around the corner.
WEDNESDAY
7.45am: Hardy runs a primer workout at a Crossfit facility down the road. Campbell, Lauren, Jodie, Aley, Perry and Healy are the only ones who wake up for it.
8.45am: Players check out and head straight to the ground. It’s freezing. Alanis Morrissette blasts through the change room, magenta shirts hang on hooks. Following Cricket Australia’s integrity policy, all players hand over their phones and smart watches to the team manager until after the match. Players pick at apples and bananas, and grab mini heat packs to keep in their pockets.
9.20am: Gardner, Healy and Perry hit the nets with Poulton. Maintenance guys in orange hi-vis assemble sight screens. The Hurricanes take the field.
9.30am: All players begin to warm up. Poulton and Sawyer set up their iPads at a table in the dugout. Match officials from Cricket Australia conduct a random test on Healy’s bat. Lyall skims through emails, sorting out media requests. Local school kids fill the stands. It’s windy, but the vibe is relaxed.
10am: Sawyer calls the team into a huddle. Everyone’s shivering. He instructs his side to play with the wind and prepare for intermittent rain. “No one’s allowed to say how cold it is,” Healy yells. Aley straps her right pinky.
10.15am: Perry heads out to do the bat toss with Corrine Hall from the Hurricanes. Hobart win and choose to bowl first. Perry signs the bat and returns to her team. Hawkins runs around to all the players to make sure they’ve got heat packs.
10.30am: Hawkins and Leslie dance to keep warm in the dugout. Campbell gets coffees for everyone.
10.50am: The ground announcer goes through the team lists. The players cackle when he mispronounces Van Niekerk’s name — this happens often. Physio Leslie forces Darke to change from her shorts into long pants. Hardy lays out GPS trackers for players to wear throughout the game
11am: Perry and Healy open the Sixers batting. The side watches from the dugout, freezing cold. Everyone is wrapped in multiple hoodies and towels. They look like babooshka dolls. Aley eats peanut butter and banana on bread. For every four and six, there’s a chorus of ‘shot Midge’ and ‘yeah Pez’. At one point Perry slips mid-strike, Leslie is up and immediately on alert, but Perry appears to be okay. Hardy keeps Gardner warmed up. At one point Healy hits a six and the umpire signals a four. Her teammates immediately protest until the call is corrected. When she’s eventually dismissed by Nicola Carey, Healy returns with advice for the top order. Gardner and Burns warm up. On the last ball of the innings, Perry smashes a six straight into the windscreen of a St John Ambulance parked next to the pitch.
1pm: After a quick break, players shed their layers. They offer extra jackets to sports admin staff. Leslie gives Perry a quick massage and applies strapping to her leg. The Sixers takes the field. Sawyer and Poulton take notes on iPads. Hicks and AJ Bates run water.
2.45pm: Game over. The Sixers win by 39 runs. Player of the match Perry performs her media duties. She signs autographs and then apologises to St John Ambulance volunteers for cracking their windscreen (but they’re not bothered). Sixers and Hurricanes hang back, mingle and chat to fans.
3.30pm: Players hit the sheds and grab lunch. It’s chicken and potatoes or a chickpea curry. Sawyer holds a quick meeting to debrief. Everyone belts out the team song.
4.45pm: Straight back to Launceston airport. Everyone’s slightly sunburnt, wind burnt, tired and ready for home. Lauren Smith can’t wait to play Sydney Thunder on Friday night.
6.30pm: Land in Melbourne. The Sixers’ flight from Melbourne to Sydney is delayed. Players chill out in groups.
10pm: Everyone touches down in Sydney and heads straight home.