Matthew Harrison set for Premier Cricket return with Greenvale Kangaroos
New Greenvale Kangaroos coach Damian Shanahan has lured his old Geelong captain Matthew Harrison back to Premier Cricket with the veteran batsman set for a key role in 2020-21.
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Former Prahran and Geelong captain Matthew Harrison will reunite with former coach Damian Shanahan at Greenvale Kangaroos.
The pair combined at for several successful seasons and will team up again in 2020-21 with Harrison returning to Premier Cricket for the first time since leaving the Cats in 2014-15.
Harrison represented Australia at under-19 level and went on to captain Geelong and Prahran during a distinguished 11-year career that netted 3988 runs.
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He featured for Newcomb and District in the Geelong Cricket Association last season, knocking up 465 runs at an average of 51.
Shanahan was pleased to add his experience to what looms as a young Kangaroos line up this season.
“Harro is going to be that Rock of Gibraltar in the middle order for us,” he said.
“He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and will be a part of the coaching panel as well.”
The Kangaroos will be without last season’s coach and leading run-scorer Kaushal Silva due to international travel restrictions but Shanahan saw the positives.
“We haven’t got the overseas players coming back, which is a loss, but I see it as an opportunity for guys that are pushing up and want to get better,” he said.
“It’s a really enthusiastic group … I’m looking forward to seeing who wants to put their hand up and get better every game.”
Shanahan hopes to start senior training this Sunday with the club’s COVID-19 safety protocols in the hands of council.
Living in Geelong, pre-season preparation and conversations with players have been done mainly over the phone and Zoom.
Club president Bruce Kent has organised a pass to ensure Shanahan can get through Melbourne’s “ring of steel” before it is scrapped on November 8.
The return to training will be critical for the new coach to establish relationships and gauge his squad’s talent.
The Kangaroos have set up a practice match against Camberwell in the lead up to Round 1, which has been pushed back to November 28.
The four-game block before Christmas looms as a difficult challenge as Greenvale kick off their season at home against Footscray before matches against Essendon (away), Geelong (home) and Carlton (away).
Shanahan was confident his team would be ready.
“It will good because we’ll know exactly where we’re at as a group, have a depth breath at Christmas, and then get back into it,” he said.
“There’s a big body of work there, trying to fit in 13 games, on the other side.
“It will be a challenge playing one-day cricket for the entire season but the good thing about the one-day format is you’re always in the game.”