Captain’s run: Brett Forsyth to lead new-look Dandenong in Premier Cricket
The champion opener says Dandy can use Fitzroy-Doncaster as inspiration as they go into 2021-22 without many of their familiar names.
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It has been a hectic few months for Dandenong and its new captain, Brett Forsyth.
As the Panthers were farewelling a host of players from their 2020-21 grand final side, Forsyth and his fiancee, Catherine, were welcoming a baby girl, Violet Eva.
“It’s been a very enjoyable part of the off-season,’’ Forsyth said of parenthood.
“We’re really enjoying starting a young family and all of the delights that has to offer. We’re really grateful it all went well and that she’s with us and we’re having a great time as new parents. During the lockdown it’s given us a good chance to bond and enjoy that part of life.’’
Violet Eva was born on May 27 and, with Covid limiting pre-season training, Forsyth has been more occupied with the little one than fulfilling any duties attached to his new role as captain.
“To be honest I haven’t had to do too much, mainly checking in with a few players,’’ he said.
And making contact with the players checking out.
For a while there no week passed without Dandenong bidding someone adieu.
Of the team that fell to Prahran in the grand final, Lincoln “LJ’’ Edwards, James Nanopoulos, Edward Newman, Peter Cassidy, Jack Fowler, Jacques Augustin and Suraj Randiv moved on, as did 12th man Comrey Edgeworth and two other players with First XI experience, Dasun Opanayaka and Zac Grundmann-Perera.
One top Cricket Victoria official called it an “unprecedented turnover’’, and on social media one or two wags brought up the line about the last to leave turning out the lights.
In May the club announced Forsyth, after a long run as vice-captain, would be taking over as skipper from his long-time opening partner Tom Donnell.
Donnell has yet to decide if he will play on.
Forsyth, of course, hopes he does, but he’s been careful to avoid putting pressure on the laid-back left-hander.
“Whatever Tom decides to do is completely fine by me,’’ he said. “We’re hopeful he does keep going, because he’s got a lot to offer, as a player, as a leader and as a great person around our club.’’
Retaining Forsyth and Donnell at the top of the order will give Dandy some sense of continuity; they’re one of the best opening pairs in District/Premier Cricket history.
But it will be a new-look team that Forsyth leads out.
He’ll be the bulwark of the batting – nothing will change there – as young players like Josh Slater, Aaron Fernando and Angus Newman get a run at First XI cricket.
Of the recruits, only Matthew Wilson, from Carlton, can be regarded as an established player.
Right-arm paceman Wilson played every game for the strong Carlton team last season and is looking to expand his batting and become an all-rounder.
He’ll slot into the pace attack with Adam McMaster, Jake Thomas and second-season player Braden Taeuber.
With the departure of Randiv – a “superstar’’, according to Forsyth – leg-spinner Gehan Seneveratne will get his opportunity.
There are other players pushing to fill the vacancies. Cameron Forsyth, a First XI premiership batsman and a prolific run scorer in the seconds, can move into the middle-order.
Andre Fernando, Josh Sawrey, Raheel Boston and Max Marinic are younger but have ability.
“It is unfortunate that a number of players decided to move on. But that’s also the landscape of Premier Cricket with Covid around. People are potentially looking at their finances or their time and whether they want to spend their time doing other things, playing local cricket or Subbies,’’ Forsyth said of the turnover.
“It was always going to come at some stage. There were probably more departures than the club was expecting … I guess it has been tough to see so many great players leave, but as a club we need to work hard to get the players we have performing really strongly.
“I think our seconds and thirds finished third and fourth last season so we’ve got some good players ready to step up. Warren Ayres and the coaching group have brought in a lot of young players to develop.’’
Forsyth thinks Dandenong is in a similar position to what Fitzroy-Doncaster had been after the Lions lost “superstar, generational players’’ a few years ago.
But they had recast their team quickly and impressively.
“There have been situations where players move on but strong clubs find the way to perform well,’’ Forsyth said. “There’s a template there.’’
As for the captaincy, Forsyth said he had always wanted to be a leader.
“I’ve kind of found my way into whatever role the club needed,’’ he said.
“I’ve always put my hand up to help out wherever I thought there was a void or wherever the club wanted me to get involved.
“The captaincy, if the club saw fit for me to do it, then I would certainly have put my hand up. And I guess the time for that is now.’’
Forsyth, 32, made his debut for the Panthers in 2005-06 and has built a formidable record at the top of the order.
He’s up to 235 matches and 8333 runs, with 18 centuries.
Last season, made up of one-dayers, the 2019-20 Ryder Medal champion came in with 621 runs at 51.8, in a format that supposedly doesn’t suit his correct approach.
Aside from the skippership, Forsyth will also have a coaching role alongside Ayres, Craig Slocombe and Prabath Nissanka (the former Sri Lankan Test paceman is a new addition to the panel).
It has been a hectic off-season for the new father.
And he’ll have his hands full over summer too.
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