Banter, respect as Dean Russ overtakes Allan Wise on Premier Cricket games list

A little bit of banter and plenty of respect as Footscray great Dean Russ moves past coach Allan Wise on the all-time Premier Cricket games list.

Footscray's Dean Russ and Allan Wise.

A bit of banter, a handshake and back to work.

When Footscray great Dean Russ plays game 287 on Saturday he not only moves into the all-time top 20 Premier Cricket games played he overtakes his coach and Richmond legend Allan Wise.

While Russ couldn’t be at training this week due to Cricket Victoria duties that hasn’t stopped a little bit of banter.

“It’s a little bit easier for batsmen, they don’t have to go through the rigours of pace bowling,” Wise quipped.

“Not when he comes off three steps and rolls them out,” Russ was quick to fire back when told.

Dean Russ in action for Footscray. Picture: Hamish Blair

Rivals for more than a decade, the pair have a very different relationship now as player and coach.

The mutual respect is profound.

“He’s got such a good cricket IP, a real calmness and he’s very measured in his process,” Russ said of his coach.

“I consider him more of a mate rather than a pure coach and that’s probably due to the age bracket than anything but we’re able to bounce a lot of ideas off each other.

“We have honest, candid conversations around the game and game situations rather than the technical aspect and I enjoy those conversations more than pure technical conversations.

“Even at 35, turning 36, it is still good to get a different lens from someone who’s so astute and he does pick up a few things.”

Wise labelled his star batsman an icon of the club.

“Playing against him, he was ultra competitive and always a key wicket in the Bulldogs line-up,” Wise said.

Allan Wise during his playing days at Richmond.

“He worked his butt off and then got the opportunity to play at the next level, which was fantastic, a really tough competitor.

“The last few years I’ve been coaching him and got to know him personally and he’s been great to work with.

“I’ve seen that competitive nature come out week-in, week-out and he’s now an icon of the Footscray Cricket Club and we have a great working relationship.

“He’s obviously a premiership captain of Footscray and a magnificent leader and he’s well on his way to 300 and then he’ll be in rarefied company.”

Russ remembers the first time he faced the feared Tigers and Victoria quick.

“Down at Punt Road, he was bowling from the grandstand end, which was on a bit of a slope, so it felt like he was 10 feet tall,” he said.

“As a fresh 18-year-old on a wicket that did a little bit I played down the line and hoped and prayed that I didn’t knick one or it didn’t blow my board off but invariably it did and he got me.”

Wise retired after the 2016-17 season after 286 First XI games, all with Richmond/Monash Tigers, taking 541 wickets – 14th all-time.

Footscray’s Dean Russ on the attack. Picture: Andrew Tauber

Russ’ 286 games have seen him score 8823 runs at an average of 32 – 20th all-time, overtaking Graeme Rummans earlier this season – and amass more than 800 runs in a season twice.

He’s 29 runs Dandenong champion Tom Donnell in 19th and 32 behind Geelong’s Clinton Peake in 18th.

He’ll move equal with South Melbourne legend Keith Kendall on 287 games when Footscray travels to Kingston Hawthorn on Saturday and, barring injury, will equal Shaun Graf’s 291 matches by the end of the home-and-away season.

Already the Footscray games record holder, the magical 300 mark is well within reach.

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“I must admit games records isn’t something that I ever aspired to, I will admit the runs – if you’re ever going to get one – that will be nice,” Russ said.

“Playing games, all it is is I keep rocking up and they don’t drop me, I keep up year after year and no one’s had the heart to tell me to go away.

“It is creeping up to 300, it’s a lot of summers and long days out in the sun but fundamentally I love playing at Footscray, it’s part of my fabric and part of who you are.

“There’s something nice about being a one-club player as well that I hold very near to me.”