Premier Cricket: Northcote appoints captain Steve Taylor as its new coach

NORTHCOTE has appointed captain Steve Taylor as its new Premier Cricket coach, replacing outgoing mentor David Reid.

Northcote captain Steve Taylor will be the club’s new Premier Cricket coach. Picture: Stuart Milligan.

NORTHCOTE has appointed captain Steve Taylor as its new Premier Cricket coach, replacing outgoing mentor David Reid.

Reid has stepped aside after five years at the helm to pursue projects with Cricket Australia and Essendon Football Club.

He said the club was confident Taylor, the 2015-16 Ryder medallist, had the right traits to become a successful Premier coach.

“He’s very well organised, he’s brutally honest, he’s unbelievably loyal and he’s a guy who leads from the front,” Reid said.

“He’s always been someone who has demanded respect from his own players and opposition.”

Taylor has led the Dragons for the past five seasons and emerged as one of the top all-rounders in Premier Cricket.

“That’s completely up to him, whether he decides to keep doing that,” Reid said.

“There’s not many guys that captain and coach in the league and most that do find it very challenging to do both at high quality.”

Northcote Cricket Club coach David Reid is moving on after five seasons. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano.

Northcote logged finishes of 16th, fourth, eighth, 15th and 14th during Reid’s tenure.

“It’s a club I have got a really strong connection with and to be able to be coach of the club for the last five years has been a privilege,” he said.

“In that sense it’s a bit sad but from a club point of view I think it is absolutely the right time for a slight change.”

Reid said Taylor would be an “outstanding coach” and the leadership transition had been welcomed by the club’s players.

“When I approached him about thinking about coaching, I think it wasn’t something he’d initially thought about but he has really warmed to,” he said.

“We were really keen for it to be an internal person because we want it to be a really smooth transition.

“We are confident in all the structures we have set up and we think it’s a really natural progression for him.”

He said the development of Northcote’s First XI group and the establishment of youth recruiting pathways had been the highlights of his time in charge.

“We are really excited about what the future holds with those guys coming through,” he said.