Greenvale Kangaroos confirms coaching group it hopes will turn fortunes around

After a tumultuous end to the Premier Cricket season, Greenvale Kangaroos has locked in a new coaching group, including two Ryder Medallists.

A new era begins at Greenvale Kangaroos.

A tumultuous end to the Premier Cricket season saw the departure of coach Damian Shanahan and threat of a player walk-out.

However, the Kangaroos have now unveiled a new coaching group, including a pair of highly decorated greats, that it believes will turn the club’s fortunes around.

The new-look leadership team will be led by director of cricket Ash Cavigan and senior high performance coach Sunny Fernando.

Gisborne premiership coach Gavin McKay will head talent development, while Victorian cricket legend Mick Allen and Australia international Adam Dale have come on board as skill and leadership mentors.

Josh Trembearth in action for Greenvale Kangaroos. Picture: Hamish Blair

Cavigan was confident it was a collection of coaching talent that had never been offered at Greenvale.

“There’s a good mix of local guys and guys that have done pretty well for themselves,” he said.

“We just need a good team of coaches that are going to get stuck in and bring some stability, some standards and good values.

“I was really conscious of putting a team together because I think that’s something the players haven’t had, rather than put all that weight and pressure on Sunny.

“As we get some good young talent into the club, which the No.1 priority, I’m really confident we’ll give them a good environment and they’ll stay.

“It’s a big challenge but also a big opportunity, we’ve got to own where it’s at and set some foundations in place and earn some respect from within and out as well.”

Fernando takes the top job after serving as senior assistant to Mick O’Sullivan at Fitzroy Doncaster this season.

The former Sri Lanka First Class all-rounder has previously coached RDCA club Wonga Park, captain-coached Subbies outfit Ivanhoe and been assistant coach at Essendon under Cavigan.

Greenvale batter Nick Markovski is dismissed. Picture: George Salpigtidis

“Sunny is a really good hands-on, energetic coach, he lives and breathes it and really invests in whoever he’s coaching,” Cavigan said.

“Having had him at Essendon and then he was pretty much senior assistant at Fitzroy Doncaster, so I think he’s a guy that’s ready to take on the big job.”

McKay will oversee the club’s talent development and recruiting.

He has been involved in the Central Highlands Youth Premier League set-up and Greenvale hopes to tap into the rich talent in the region as well as regions such as Ballarat and Bendigo.

“Gavin knows everyone up in that region. my brother did some coaching with him and spoke really highly of him and he’s just a really good genuine bloke,” Cavigan said.

“He’s got a strong background in leadership and cultural stuff and we need a lot of that, so he’ll be someone that looks after the development side and fill our squad and Dowling with the best young talent.”

While Fernando and McKay will look after the day-to-day coaching, Cavigan hopes having access to the likes of Allen and Dale is what attracts and keeps talent at Greenvale.

Dale won his Ryder Medal while playing with North Melbourne before moving to Queensland and going on to play two Tests and 30 One-Day Internationals for Australia.

Allen is a Premier Cricket Ryder Medallist, VSDCA Hatch Medallist, GDCA Sullivan Medallist and holds the Subbies single-season run-scoring record with 957 runs in 2012-13.

“With Mick, I wanted someone in the program that’s been contracted at state level and played strong First XI cricket,” Cavigan said.

“We’re hoping to have guys on our list that will be in amongst that in the next few years so we wanted someone involved that can be there for them.

MPCA: FORMER VICTORIA STAR SIGNS WITH SORRENTO

LEADER: GET YOUR PREMIER CRICKET NEWS HERE

PREMIER: KANGAROOS PLAYERS THREATEN BOYCOTT

“Adam and I are good mates, he was my director of cricket at Northcote when I first started coaching and we played together in a Subbies championship-winning team.

“He’s up in Queensland but he’ll be a really good mentor for our coaching group, so we’ll connect remotely, and importantly be another guy the players can access from a bowling point of view or hopefully that are on the pathway.”

With the coaching group locked in, Cavigan and Fernando will now turn their attention to retaining the Kangaroos’ list and recruiting to strengthen the club for 2023-24.

Greenvale has already lost spearhead Sean McNicholl to Fitzroy Doncaster but is hopeful of signing the likes of leading run-scorer Connor Hayes, wicket-taker Nick McGuane, Michael Archer and skipper Josh Trembearth.