Premier Cricket: Australia Test player Julien Wiener appointed coach of Prahran for next three seasons

Prahran has appointed a former Test player as its new coach for the next three summers as it looks to climb the Premier Cricket ladder.

Prahran celebrates a wicket last season. Picture: Mark Dadswell

FORMER Test player Julien Wiener has been appointed coach of Premier Cricket outfit Prahran for the next three seasons.

The 63-year-old has spent the past two and a half summers as an assistant at Melbourne and replaces Barry Neivandt, who departed one year into a two-year deal last month.

Wiener is an ex-player at the True Blues and made six Test and seven one-day international appearances for Australia. He also represented Victoria 66 times at first-class level.

Prahran president Nigel Parsons said stability and developing coaching talent with an eye to a potential succession plan were among the club’s priorities.

Julien Wiener on his way to a century for Victoria in 1982.

“He’s obviously got a lot of history and experience, but he’s also been involved in high-performance cricket, both from a Cricket Victoria perspective and has also been on a tour with the Australian Aboriginal team to the UK,” Parsons said of Wiener.

“So I think he brings a strong contemporary aspect to the role as well. Although he’s been around for a bit, I think he understands the modern game and where we want to get to as a club.

“Obviously T20 is going to be critical for us, so surrounding himself with the right assistant coaches … I think he will be very one-on-one with the players and very much around player development and ownership, strong communication and a sense of accountability, which is what we’re looking for.”

Wiener, who has also been involved with Victorian under-19 sides, will report to new cricket operations manager Bryce McGain.

Prahran’s First XI finished 13th in 2017-18, but the addition of opener Jake Hancock, who has returned after two years with Tasmania, is a significant coup.

Young guns Will Sutherland and Sam Grimwade have also earned spots on Victoria’s contract list.

“We feel we’ve got a lot of good talent, young talent, at the club,” Parsons said.

“We’re hoping to obviously progress on that this year, but also with a core focus on the T20 comp that’s now been put together. We feel we can be quite competitive across all formats.”

The True Blues have not lost any First XI squad members and are still on the lookout for recruits.

Nathan McNally captained the club last season and Wiener will decide if change is needed over the coming months.

Prahran has finalised a three-year strategic plan, the pillars of which are people, stakeholders, infrastructure and finances.