Premier Cricket 2018-19: Dandenong opener Brett Forsyth closing in on 1000 runs

As he closes in on 1000 runs for the season in Premier Cricket, Dandenong opener Brett Forsyth says he’s flattered his name is being thrown up for the Victorian team.

As he closes in on 1000 runs for the season, everybody’s talking about Brett Forsyth.

Praise is coming from all corners.

The Dandenong batsman’s run-filled summer in Premier Cricket has his name blinking in lights, with his latest ton, a matchwinning 168 not out against Footscray last Saturday, prompting talk of Victorian selection.

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His many supporters are looking for recognition for the 30-year-old opener.

There’s a good chance he’ll receive it in the form of the prestigious Ryder Medal at the end-of-season dinner.

But an elevation to first-class cricket?

Closer to the end than the start of his career, Forsyth would relish the belated opportunity, believing he could make a good go of it.

But he says he’s not preoccupied by the thought of state selection.

“I’m a bit taken aback by it, to be honest,’’ he said of the burst of publicity.

“It’s very flattering to be mentioned for higher honours.’’

Brett Forsyth negotiating the new-ball attack from Fitzroy-Doncaster.

Forsyth was a Victorian rookie for four years (Glenn Maxwell was in the same pool of players in 2010-11).

He performed well in state seconds matches and at Premier level but lost his contract ahead of the 2012-13 season.

It was a sledgehammer blow; at the same time he’d suffered a severe knee injury.

With the help of the Australian Cricketers’ Association’s Past Player Program, he took himself off to university to study teaching (he’s now on staff at Westall Secondary College) and assumed a mentoring role at Dandenong.

He’s content with his lot — teaching, finding a life partner in Catherine, playing Premier Cricket and coaching at Haileybury College.

“Interesting question,’’ Forsyth replied when asked if he still aspired to play big cricket.

“I finished a teaching degree and I’m very happy in that profession. If the opportunity came up, I’d love to play and put my best foot forward. A lot of cricketers have that ambition to take that next step.

“I think I was unlucky not to play when I was (a Victorian rookie). But there are a lot of players in the same boat who have performed really well and really consistently without getting a look-in. I’d be hopeful of something coming up. But realistically they might look at younger players. That’s just the way it goes. If you put the runs on the board, you’re at least an option.’’

He added: “If I’m honest, I’m just focusing on getting Dandenong into the finals and playing well.’’

Forsyth’s prolific output this season is more a continuation than a revelation.

He’s been high on the run-making charts for a while — last season he hit 825 at 48.5 — but in 2018-19 he’s risen from the ruck by entering four-figure territory.

St Kilda champion Graeme Rummans was the last batsman to cross the 1000-run milestone, 10 years ago — and duly won the Ryder.

No Dandenong player has done it.

Has Forsyth reached pomp-point in his batting? He said he was a “more talented batsman when I was younger’’, but at 30 understood the ebbs and flows of the game better, the necessity to get through good spells of bowling and being willing to fight for his runs.

Put it down to the experience of more than 200 Premier matches.

National Under 19 Cricket Championships at Kingston, Tasmania versus Victoria, Victoria's Brett Forsyth batting

But Forsyth said he had felt ready to play at the next level since he was 19.

“That feeling has never gone away and there is still a desire to play professionally and test myself against the best players in the country,’’ he said.

“I feel my game is as good as ever and I would be open to playing professionally if that opportunity was to arise.’’

He noted that Victoria had had strong teams and won many titles in the past 15 years and it was hard to break into successful sides.

And in the Futures League potential held sway over performance. “Younger players are being given greater opportunity than yesteryear,’’ he said. “That’s the landscape of Australian cricket.’’

Dandenong coach Nick Speak often talks about the need for batsmen to be matchwinners rather than contributors.

Forsyth has done it twice this season, most crucially against the Bulldogs as the Panthers chased down 9-350 to gain valuable points in the scramble for finals positions.

“What he (Speak) says has rubbed off, about being the person to win the game, influence it,’’ Forsyth said. “I certainly took that feedback. He’s been fantastic for our batting group.’’

Dandenong coach Nick Speak.

Former English County batsman Speak believes Forsyth could be expected to do well if a state call-up came, calling him a “banker’’ of Premier Cricket.

Speak took in every ball of last Saturday’s century and he said it was the best innings he had seen from Forsyth.

“It’s No 1 because it won us the game,’’ he said. “It’s Round 14 and you take that six points off us and look at the ladder and we’re back in the pack.

“It was a critical game and he came through for us. He makes hundreds because he can. His greatest strength is he can bat badly through parts of an innings but keep going and keep going and we saw that on Saturday.

“His first 30 balls were sketchy — he wasn’t lining it up well, he wasn’t finding length — but he got to the other side, because he doesn’t give up. He knows he’s two shots away from being back in control. It was the perfect innings.’’

BRETT FORSYTH’S RUN-DRENCHED SUMMER

R1 v Ringwood — 32

R2 v Essendon — 51

R3 v Northcote — 50

R4 v Melb Uni — 12

R16 v Melb Uni — 82

R5 v Monash Tigers — 146no

R6 v Casey Sth Melb — 25

R7 v Prahran — 80no

R8 v Melbourne — 16

R9 v Frankston Penin — 69

R10 v Carlton — 79

R11 v Camb Magpies — 14

R12 v Fitz Donc — 18

R13 v Greenvale Kang — 100no

R14 v Footscray — 168no

Total — 942 runs at 85.6

With Super Slam — 1171 runs at 58.6