Welcome to our SA sports wrap, where you can read the best and latest local sports stories from around the state
A gun Scorpions player has been rewarded for her impressive past 12 months by receiving her first national contract. That story and more in our SA sports wrap.
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Welcome to our South Australian sports wrap where you can read the best and latest local sports stories from around the state.
McGrath makes the cut
By Liz Walsh
South Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath has capped off a stellar 12-month cricket season with the best-ever surprise: her first Cricket Australia playing contract.
It was such a surprise that when the name of national selector Shawn Flegler flashed up on her mobile phone on Wednesday morning, she thought he was calling to tell her she’d missed out. Again.
“I’ve been on the end of those calls,” the 24-year-old said.
“We were just talking generally about how I was going in self-isolation and then he said: ‘I’m not sure if you’re aware but the contacts are being offered tomorrow and we’d like to offer you one’.
“My first words were: ‘What? Really?’.”
But the contract should come as no surprise.
McGrath had a standout season over the past year that included a 10-week stint in England playing for Australia A in June as a prelude to the Women’s Ashes, and then representing Lancashire Thunder in the Twenty20 English Kia Super League.
She stepped into the captaincy role at Australia A level, as well as for the SA Scorpions in the WNCL and won back-to-back Andrea McCauley medals as the state’s best player after taking a team-high 13 wickets (best figures of 4/40), and hitting 261 runs (top score 93) from seven games.
McGrath was also pivotal in helping Adelaide Strikers make their first WBBL grand final appearance, knocking up 327 runs and taking 14 wickets.
In announcing the 15-player contract list for the 2020-21 season, Flegler said McGrath’s elevation to captain at both state and Australia A level had helped her earn a playing contract with the world’s No. 1 women’s cricket teams.
“She’s been a consistent performer over the last few seasons with bat and ball, including the five matches she played for Australia during the 2017 Ashes series,” he said.
Flegler added with the 50-over World Cup scheduled for February 2021 in New Zealand, McGrath could play a vital role thanks to her skills with both bat and ball.
“With Tayla (Vlaeminck) and Ellyse Perry coming back from long-term injuries, Tahlia will add extra depth to our all-rounders, especially with her bowling,” he said.
“We saw that depth come into play during the recent World Cup and we know that will be important with another World Cup scheduled this summer.”
McGrath joins fellow South Aussie Megan Schutt in national colours, and Schutt was quick to congratulate her.
The 27-year-old spearhead had her contract renewed after bowling career-best figures of 4/18 in the T20 World Cup final against India in March.
Wello’s Pokémon wonderland
By Liz Walsh
If there’s one South Australian athlete who won’t be getting bored while stuck in COVID-19 self-isolation, it’s Adelaide Strikers cricketer Amanda-Jade Wellington.
After all, the legspinner is not only sharing her two-bedroom granny flat – out the back of her childhood home north of Adelaide – with her fiance Tayler McKechnie, but with their four dogs, three cats, two snakes, two sugar gliders and more than 6000 pieces of her Pokemon collection.
“I’ve got so much going on … it’s like an animal kingdom and I’m running out of room,” she said with a laugh.
In bedroom No. 1, is Wellington’s gargantuan Pokemon stash, which includes plush toys, a skill-tester machine and playing cards housed in glass display cabinets.
Bedroom No. 2, therefore, has become the couple’s “bedroom-slash-gym-slash-animal area”.
The 22-year-old former Australian spinner – who in a 2017 Ashes series bowled an unplayable ball that was compared with Shane Warne’s famed “ball of the century” – had an excellent 2019 for the Strikers, taking 16 wickets and knocking an impressive half-century in her side’s WBBL grand final loss to Brisbane Heat in December.
Wellington’s love of Pokemon started in primary school when she was given a Pikachu backpack for Christmas, but now that love has turned into a handy investment, too.
Her end goal is to be the Guinness World Record holder for the largest Pokemon collection, which is currently held by an English woman whose collection spans more than 17,000 pieces.
Then come Wellington’s furry and scaly friends: her four French bulldogs Cookie, Cappa, Chai and Happy, her three cats Missy, Coco and Stefano, two snakes Gyarados and Ditto, and two new sugar gliders Jesse and James.
BROWSE AMANDA-JADE’S COLLECTION:
Henry sets date for Adelaide arrival
By Simeon Thomas-Wilson
New Adelaide 36ers coach Conner Henry is confident he will be allowed into Australia come July 1 despite restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Henry was announced as the man to take over from Joey Wright last Wednesday.
The former Orlando Magic assistant is still in America and is hoping to be able to arrive in Adelaide on July 1 to begin in the job.
“Well talking with Grant (Kelley) and Jeff (Van Groningen) we are focused on that July 1st arrival date,” he said on Grandstand SA.
“There is some uncertainty … is essential business travel allowed because I am going there to work.
“So we have to get my work visa sorted and need to tick every box.”
Henry comes to the Sixers after a bitter ending to Wright’s time as head coach, as the club fell into anarchy when the now released Kevin White posted damning personal messages by Wright.
Henry said he was looking forward to starting a culture of a positive work environment.
“Joey Wright should be praised for the amount of work he put into this club for six years,” he said.
“These things happen in pro-sports as we know, it didn’t end well but we are going to turn the page.”
‘She had complete faith in me’: T-Birds youngster on Folau
By Warren Partland
Adelaide Thunderbirds young gun Sasha Glasgow has no trouble recalling the day New Zealand superstar Maria Folau turned up for her first training session with the club.
The Moonta-bred shooter admits to being quite taken aback when it was revealed arguably the world’s most lethal goal attack had signed for the 2019 Super Netball season.
When Folau stepped into the Mile End stadium for her debut workout, said she had forgot a hair tie and asked if anyone had a spare, Glasgow and fellow shooter Cody Lange looked at each other starry eyed.
Lange quickly offered hers, she was more than content to wear her hair down knowing Folau had her hair tie.
That is how it was for the early weeks with Folau in the camp, Glasgow feeling intimidated and a little awe-struck.
Until coach Tania Obst stepped in, told them to stop being fans and get used to Folau being around all season.
Glasgow enjoyed a breakout season with the Thunderbirds, until rupturing her ACL against Netball Giants in the penultimate round. Taking her game to new levels with Folau alongside, the pair formed a potent partnership in the goal circle.
“I’ve been really lucky and played with Erin Bell in my first year, then Cath Latu and then Maria,” Glasgow said. “I’ve been able to play with some of my idols.
“Maria had complete faith in me, allowed me to speak up and have a voice and bring myself out of my shell in the team environment.
“She just kept drilling into me I was there for a reason.
“I could also challenge her, challenging a seasoned athlete was the next step in progressing my game.”
Could Strikers lure World Cup winner?
By Liz Walsh
Could Brisbane Heat’s powerhouse opening batter Beth Mooney be lured away from Queensland to South Australia to play for the Adelaide Strikers?
The Australian opening batter has confirmed she is weighing up some “really good offers from some really good clubs” for the next season of the Women’s Big Bash and The Advertiser understands one of those is the Strikers.
The 26-year-old, who was named player of the tournament at the ICC’s 2020 T20 World Cup in March, said the coronavirus-induced self-isolation was giving her a lot of time to mull over her options.
“That’s all I’ve got to think about at the moment,” she said, referencing her WBBL future.
“I’ve had some really good offers from some really good clubs.
“I haven’t really got anywhere with the decision yet … it would take a lot for me to not be playing at Brisbane, but there is also a lot of opportunities out there to play with different people and different coaches and things like that.
“I’ll keep my options open and hopefully have a decision in the next couple of weeks.”
Mooney – who has won back-to-back WBBL crowns with the Heat – said she had loved her time at Brisbane.
Mooney is the world’s No. 1 ranked T20 batter according to the ICC and at March’s T20 Women’s World Cup became the first woman ever to accumulate more than 250 runs in a world cup tournament.
Crow’s call to arms
By Liz Walsh
Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard has revealed she’s flying out of the Adelaide nest during the AFLW off-season to join the Australian Defence Force.
She will join the air force and the 22-year-old said it brought a whole new meaning to ANZAC Day, and that she’ll honour the occasion by waking early to watch a special broadcast of the dawn service.
“My decision to join the air force has made me think about (Anzac Day) a lot more and obviously there are all these people who have sacrificed their lives for our country and me being able to get into a career, where I can serve the country too, it’s just awesome,” she said.
The prolific ball-winner – who this season broke the AFLW record for most disposals when she had 35 touches against Brisbane in round one – will leave in early June for an 11-week stint of military training in Wagga, before moving to Queensland for employment training.
Hatchard is expected to be back in Adelaide by the end of the year to start AFLW pre-season with her teammates – should the 2021 season be unaffected by coronavirus – and then start a role at the Edinburgh air base in security in due course.
MORE NEWS
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Thunderbirds defender Layla Guscoth returns to duties as a doctor to help fight against coronavirus
Norwood Redlegs recruit Ryan Bastinac returns to Queensland amid the COVID-19 crisis
Pay cuts eased
By Warren Partland
The nation’s leading netballers have had their COVID-19 induced pay cuts eased until the end of May.
Super Netball and the Australian Netball Players Association have agreed on the new pay structure with the reduction lifted from 30 to 50 per cent.
And international athletes will be supported to the same level as Australian athletes.
All contracted players will be paid at least the $1500 fortnightly JobKeeper payment, plus
superannuation, and players earning more than $78,000 will receive 50 per cent of their current contract.
The new deal means the majority of athletes, who are contracted for less than $78,000 annually, will receive more than half their normal salary.
However, their training workload has been increased from seven to 12 hours per week and athletes will be required to fulfil club and league content and social media commitments on a pro rata basis.
Sports’ cries for help
By Gordon Armstrong
Sport SA, which provides industry advice to its membership, has been swamped with pleas for help from organisations battling financial ruin and leaders in tears having to sack good staff, says chief executive Leah Cassidy.
Ms Cassidy said her small team was working hard to keep up with queries from its membership of 160 clubs and associations (17 joined in past two weeks) since restrictions were imposed on sporting organisations because of the corona pandemic.
“It is really tough,” Ms Cassidy said.
“We have worked hard to provide updated information on our website where people can get information about financial, legal and HR matters.
“A lot of people want to know about the Government’s stimulus packages so we have experts we can turn to for that information.
“Some people wanted to know if and when they had to return membership money already received before the seasons started.
“Then on the personal front there have been chief executives breaking down telling me that they had to get rid of good workers.
“That has been so traumatic for them.”
Ms Cassidy also warned that organisations would need to look at how they operated once sport returned.
Originally published as Welcome to our SA sports wrap, where you can read the best and latest local sports stories from around the state
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