Premier Cricket: Essendon building toward tilt at drought-breaking premiership five decades in making

MIKE Walsh was 22 when Essendon won its last First XI flag. Now 70, the legendary scorer is still waiting to see another.

Essendon's 1969-70 Premier Cricket premiership team.

MIKE Walsh was 22 when Essendon won its last First XI flag.

The legendary scorer, an icon at Windy Hill and of Premier Cricket, had only been keeping score for the Bombers’ top side for three years when a century from Geoff Tobin guided Essendon to a four-wicket win over University in the 1969-70 decider.

Now 70, Walsh is still eagerly waiting to put pen to paper for the wicket or run which ends the Bombers’ drought of almost five decades.

Walsh is bullish about the current crop of players Essendon has assembled under first-year coach Mitch Johnstone.

Former Australian quick Clint McKay, top-order batsman Michael Hill and captain Aaron Ayre boast experience with Victoria, while paceman Matt Doric has been on the cusp of Bushrangers selection in recent summers.

Nicknamed ‘The Wizard’ for his likeness to Harry Potter, left-arm spinner Liam Bowe has emerged as one of the state’s best slow-bowling prospects after crossing from Bendigo club Sandhurst and featuring in the Big Bash League for Melbourne Stars.

Hard-hitting opener James Seymour returned to Essendon this season with a point to prove and has plundered 664 runs at 41.5, while wicketkeeper Isaac Conway has been an assured presence behind the stumps after taking the gloves from Ayre.

“There’s been a few games this year we would have normally been beaten or run over but we didn’t (falter),” Walsh said.

“We fought back. And different players have done it. It hasn’t always been left to the name players.

“Some of the inexperienced kids have stood up at the right time and that’s fantastic. There’s no reason why they are not going to be around for quite a few years.”

Essendon celebrates a wicket during its last Premier grand final appearance in 2013-14. Photo: Kris Reichl.

Australia has had 11 prime ministers since Tobin’s brilliant century carried Essendon to victory chasing University’s 158 in a match which stretched over four days at the Albert Ground.

Fifteen of the AFL’s 18 clubs have tasted the ultimate success in that time, while 14 different Premier clubs have triumphed in grand finals.

“We don’t really talk about the past,” Hill, who won two Premier titles with Melbourne, said.

“It’s more about trying to control what we can control now.

“Our destiny is pretty much in our hands now.”

Down at Windy Hill tonight for @EssendonCC session before last round of @vicpremcricket season. Catch my chat with @MitchJohnstone2 on @leadercricket Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/SVjebO1TZH

— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) March 1, 2018

McKay, the 2012-13 Australian one-day international player of the season and a one-time Test representative, wants to repay Essendon for giving him his start.

The 35-year-old took 105 wickets for the Bombers in the two Premier seasons prior to making his Victorian debut against Queensland in 2006 and embarking on a 12-year first-class career.

“This is where I have grown up and it gave me a great opportunity play professional cricket,” McKay said.

“It’s been fantastic for me over I think about 15-16 years now.

“It’d be great to walk away with a premiership. That’s what we are all here to try and achieve and it would be great to end this year on big success in the grand final.”

Tom O’Donnell would have every right to feel jaded about Essendon’s return to Premier finals for the first time since 2014-15.

The left-arm quick and son of former Australian all-rounder Simon O’Donnell would be preparing to launch into a finals campaign had stress fractures in his back not flared up and stopped him bowling.

“I wouldn’t mind getting up and playing as a bat in the ones, but I don’t like that chance,” O’Donnell quipped.

“It would be great to see them do well, being such a tight-knit group that have spent a lot of time together.”

(L-R) Essendon president Simon Tobin, whose father Geoff made a century in the club’s last grand final win, and coach Mitch Johnstone. Picture: Josie Hayden.

Empowerment has been a key theme of Johnstone’s first year in charge at Essendon.

The coach enjoyed success in his time in Sub-District Cricket, steering Roxburgh Park-Broadmeadows to a grand final in 2014-15 and leading Werribee to its maiden club championship in 2015-16.

Johnstone joined the Tigers with aspirations of becoming a Premier coach as Cricket Victoria considered expanding the competition to include two of Werribee, Plenty Valley and Melton.

But by the end of March in his first season he had parted ways with the club and emerged to lead Coburg to fifth in 2016-17.

Johnstone’s patience paid off when Brendan Joyce ended his five-year association with Essendon and the top job became available at the club he left in 2012-13 but had always held a soft spot for.

The Bombers enlisted Robert Shaw, the former Fitzroy and Adelaide coach, as Johnstone’s director of coaching.

“I think in all sports teams, it’s not so much how you play, it’s how other people perceive you,” Shaw said.

“I think that’s one of the most important aspects. That’s respect.

“Our numbers on the ladder, for the talent, have been poor of recent (years).”

Shaw knows it is important to provide some leeway for the club’s players, who juggle full-time employment, families and cricket.

“You understand but you still can challenge them to be the best they can be,” he said.

Essendon has a long list of state representatives who have played with the club without achieving the ultimate success.

Walsh has watched the likes of Jamie Siddons, Mathew Inness, Simon O’Donnell, Peter Young and McKay represent Essendon since its most recent Premier title.

“We have had some good players around over the years but just could never get it together consistently enough,” he said.

Ayre, the wicketkeeper-batsman who moved from Canberra to Windy Hill to chase his first-class dream, could become the first Bombers captain since John Grant to hold the Premier trophy aloft in coming weeks.

Four seasons after its last shot at glory went begging against Footscray and 48 years after Tobin’s heroics, Walsh hopes Essendon’s time has finally arrived.

“It is a long time between drinks, so we are about due for one,” he said.