MPCA: Baxter appoints Mark Cooper as playing-coach

After three consecutive relegations, Baxter aims to reshape its culture and instil a winning mentality — and it’s started by appointing one of local cricket’s most successful coaches.

Mark Cooper is Baxter’s new senior coach. Picture: Facebook

He’s calling it a Baxter re-branding.

Newly appointed Baxter playing-coach Mark Cooper says the task of re-building the one-time MPCA powerhouse club is perhaps the biggest challenge he’s faced in his 24-year coaching career.

“It’s a real unknown,’’ Cooper said.

“But it’s probably one of the bigger challenges — and that’s what really attracted me to the position.

“It’s nearly a re branding for us I guess.

“Three years in a row of relegation...so changing around that culture, and forming that winning culture, is really exciting to educate a young group.’’

After tumbling down to the fourth-tier Sub-District division of the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association after three successive relegation hits, Baxter has turned to local cricket’s Mr Fixit to lead it forward.

Mark Cooper.

Cooper, 46, is one of the most well-travelled and successful cricket coaches in Victorian country cricket.

He’s coached nine premierships, his latest coming only two months ago when he steered Cardinia to a flag in the Casey Cardinia association.

Cooper also achieved the ulimate success at Cranbourne, Langwarrin and Beaconsfield.

Baxter has been chasing Cooper for years.

Finally, they got their man.

“They reached out a season or two ago,” Cooper said.

“Simon Dignan reached out. And it just came out of the blue. I’d already committed to Cardinia last season…and they just reached out again at the right time, after the season was done and we’d won the flag.

“I was actually thinking of not going around again to be honest.

“They just got hold of me at the night time. I thought, ‘would I be suited or not?’ Then they convinced me that the challenge of what they’re facing…it all married up.”

Cooper said Baxter’s young list excited him.

“The attraction for me was development,” he said.

“They acknowledged, ‘we’re in Div 4 now and we can’t go any lower’, so it’s all about investment in those young fellas. And looking at it probably three quarters of their list is 22 and under.

“So it’s about getting some training standards and development into those 22 and unders especially, but also to the whole group.”

Josh Mack celebrates a wicket for Baxter. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Baxter president Steve Harvey said Cooper would be a “breath of fresh air” for the success-starved club.

“He’s really organised, planned, resourced, everything,” Harvey said.

“The appeal is, he just wants to coach a lot of young guys. We feel he’s a great acquisition.’’

Harvey said with Cooper in charge, the future was exciting for Baxter, which won four Provincial grade premierships between 2010-17.

“As much as this year was shattering to go down, it’s probably now at a point where we’ve got to say, ‘okay, we’ll start again and he’s the best one to take us forward’,” Harvey said.

Baxter has a raft of talented young players coming through, including Cody Irving, Jye and Ayden Dignan, Josh Mack, Mitchell and Nick Harvey, Coby Stewart and Jarvis Poole.

Harvey said Cooper had already begun planning Baxter’s rise.

“It’s amazing, he’s started ringing all the guys, he’s watched vision on Frog Box...our young guys are talking to him already,’’ he said.

“He’s very professional and has planned everything.’’

Cooper batting for Carrum. Picture: Valeriu Campan

COOPER’S COACHING CAREER:

*Took the reins as a 22yo at Cranbourne in 2001 after the club finished on the bottom of the DDCA Turf 1 ladder.

*Took on the Baden Powell job in 2003.

*Was appointed at Cardinia in 2006-07.

*Began a three-season stint at Langwarrin in 2012-13, taking the Kangaroos to the District flag — and back into Provincial — in his first year.

*Steered Hallora in the Warragul and District Cricket Association in 2015-16.

*In 2016 began a four-year coaching journey with Kooweerup, leading the Demons to three premierships and a runner-up finish.

*In 2020-21, he joined Carrum and led the Lions to two semi-final losses in his only two years at the club.

*Cooper won his eighth premiership when he guided Beaconsfield to the 2022-23 DDCA Turf 2 flag.

*2024-25...another flag at Cardinia.