Ivanhoe committed to youth policy to turn on-field fortunes around

Ivanhoe will continue to put its faith in its young talent and has installed an international coach it hopes can further that development.

Ivanhoe won’t divert from its youth policy as it looks to build back to VSDCA relevancy.

The Saints will be under a new-look coaching panel in 2023-24 but will remain one of, if not the, youngest team in Subbies.

Current Philippines national coach and player Henry Tyler takes the reins from Scott McNaughton at Ivanhoe Park.

He will work with director of coaching Jacob Bloom and assistants Sean Winstone and Ray Mitchell to lift the club out of its recent struggles.

Ivanhoe’s First XI won just one game this season and was winless in 2021-22 but challenged for finals in the last North-West rotation.

Max Hudson in action for Ivanhoe. Picture: Hamish Blair

However, it had improved performances in the lower grades, winning the Third XI Division 2 premiership, breaking a 19-year drought.

President Tim Cheesewright said laying the right foundation was crucial to rebuilding the club on-field.

“The whole coaching panel is hoping to get our talented kids up to that (First XI) level,” he said.

“We’ve got a couple of announcements of people wanting to join us, internationally, but also local.

“That will help us with some maturity in the group, which will hopefully lead to going up the ladder.

“Sure, we want to play finals, and we’ve got a plan in place that over the next three years people will want to come to us.

“We don’t want to just buy a heap of players, that’s an easy way but a short-term scenario, we want to promote our juniors through to our seniors and that’s about culture.”

Alex Pannell was Ivanhoe’s leading run-scorer this season, knocking up 395 runs at an average of 23.24 – ranked 21st in the North-South group.

Thisura Sooriyaaratchi in action for Ivanhoe. Picture: Hamish Blair

Bryce Hounsome was also ranked in the top-50 with 289 runs.

However, the club had just one bowler ranked in the top-50 wicket-takers with Troy Haynes leading the Saints with 18 scalps – ranked 31st.

The club’s Craig Shield team won two games but saw promising performances.

Thisura Sooriyaaratchi, scored the fifth most runs in the tournament, and cemented himself in the First XI, while Leo McRobert topped the competition wicket-taker charts.

Chris Oliver, Milun Fernando and Lachlan Green also impressed.

Cheesewright said bringing those young players through a successful academy would have long-lasting benefits for the club.

“What the club’s trying to do is, I suppose, get the pathway for junior crickets to be the best they possibly can,” he said.

“We see sub-districts, especially Ivanhoe as the club in the area, as a pathway for these kids to try their luck on turf and maybe go onto Premier Cricket and maybe even make it to state or Australia.

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“The pathway has always been very closed, we see our role to develop cricketers.

“We’ve made relationships with Northcote, as our closest Premier club, and looking where we can promote players to come to us, get their technical side right and then get an opportunity to play Premier.

“Often we see kids go to Premier Cricket when they’re not ready and miss their opportunity or get stuck playing with their mates on synthetic and miss their window.

“Having our new coach on board, he’s come from Northcote but also come from Banyule, so our goal is to build relationships and give juniors an opportunity.”