Brunswick has signed one of local cricket’s most successful coaches

Brunswick has signed one of local cricket’s most successful coaches to lead the club into the Subbies 2023-24 season.

Brunswick has appointed one of local cricket’s most successful coaches to lead the VSDCA club in 2023-24.

Two-time Sydenham-Hillside premiership coach Geoff Pretty will take the reins at AG Gillon Oval next season.

Pretty arrives after guiding the Storm to back-to-back VTCA flags, which has seen it rocket into the association’s top flight for the first time in club history.

Pretty will hope that luck rubs off on the Wicks, who have missed Subbies finals for the past two seasons.

“It’s an exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

Sydenham-Hillside celebrates its VTCA Division 1 premiership.

“It was a very tough decision but at the end of the day you like to move to a higher level and the opportunity presented itself.

“I’ve known Rod (Brunswick president Rod Browning) for a long time, since my Carlton days, and know a few people at the club.

“From an outsiders point of view it is a very attractive club to coach and then with them there, I’m looking forward to it.”

Pretty is no stranger to sub-district cricket having represented Coburg during his playing days.

He takes over from Karl Mayne, who has departed to pursue an employment opportunity in the Northern Territory.

Pretty will oversee the regeneration of Brunswick’s First XI, which has lost a number of experienced players in recent seasons.

Leading run-scorer Simon Hill and wicket-taker Matt Doric remain key members of the Wicks line-up, while Marcus Stables, Michael Porter, David Bonavia and Michael West all enjoyed strong 2022-23 seasons.

While the First XI missed the top-six, Brunswick still enjoyed success with the Third XI Division 1 and Fourth XI Division 1 sides both winning the premiership, while the Second XI finished second before losing a preliminary final.

Brunswick captain-coach Karl Mayne has moved to the NT. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The club’s Craig Shield side also made the finals.

Pretty was looking forward to getting stuck in with pre-season looming large on the horizon.

“I’ll be introducing myself to players in the next 24 hours and then meet the senior group and the whole playing group,” he said.

“By the time that’s all done we’re going to be into pre-season training pretty quick, we’re already at the end of May, so it’s only another six or eight weeks and we’re back into it.

“I know Brunswick is pretty well blessed with a number of talented younger guys, so that’s exciting, they had quite a few 18 to 20-year-olds playing in the ones.

“Add in the experience of guys like Simon Hill and Matt Doric it will be very exciting.”

With a strong foundation, Pretty said the club could set its sights high without being unrealistic.

“We’ll certainly be trying (to win a premiership), you don’t do it to come second,” he said.

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“You’ve got to aim high, if you don’t have ambition you’re not going to succeed, but we’ll set our sights at a realistic level – any goals much be achievable.”

With Mayne’s departure a club captain will be named in due course.

Meanwhile, Sydenham-Hillside has announced Warren Hackney as Pretty’s successor.

Hackney is the Storm’s all-time leading First XI run-scorer, a five-time premiership player and former captain.