Premier club calls for review of Victorian selection process

A Premier Cricket club is calling for a formal review of the way Victorian teams are selected and players are contracted.

Aaron Finch driving during his Test career.

A Victorian Premier Cricket club has called for a review of the selection of state teams and the contracting of players.

Essendon says it has lost confidence in the selection process and outlined its concerns in a hard-hitting submission presented to the Cricket Victoria board last Monday.

It was signed by president Simon Tobin, who stood for a board position last year.

It’s unclear what action the board will take, if any.

“Our club is concerned and has lost confidence in the policies and practices of the CV High Performance department, regarding selection process for the above teams and contracted squads,’’ the submission began.

Essendon identified four areas of concern that it said were shared by other Premier clubs:

* inconsistency in rewarding performances in Premier Cricket.

* the potential loss of senior players who have lost faith in the selection process and no longer believe they will be considered for state teams.

* perceptions of bias in selection.

* a failure to produce Victorian players for Australian teams.

“In recent years there have been outstanding performances from Premier players which have seemingly been overlooked by state selectors, in favour of other players who have not performed at the same level,’’ the submission stated.

“Whilst there is always room in any selection process for younger, less experienced players to be considered on a balance of performance and potential, we submit many selection decisions made in recent years have been almost entirely weighted on potential, with next to no reasonable performance to justify the selection.’’

Victorian Peter Handscombe after making a century against Pakistan at the Gabba in 2016.

It said several players picked for Victoria in recent years had played less than 10 Premier First XI matches and had batting averages of between eight and 24.

At the same time up to six other Premier batsmen, all aged under 30, were averaging between 45 and 100.

Essendon said several bowlers selected had figures ranking them lower than at least 30 to 50 other bowlers in Premier Cricket.

“Of equal concern, and perhaps related to the above issues, is the apparent lack of communication between Premier players and a stark lack of attendance at Premier Cricket by CV high performance management and/or state selectors.

“Each season, numerous and consistent performances have been exhibited in Premier cricket, at a very high standard, yet only too rarely are CV high performance or state selectors in attendance. This is contributing to the growing dissatisfaction and declining confidence in the selection process within Premier ranks.’’

The submission said the “continued non-selection of the very best players in the Premier competition’’ was resulting in them moving on, either accepting money to play in weaker cricket or chasing interstate opportunities.

“The resultant damage to Premier Cricket is that a great number of other players, who have not performed at quite the same level as those above them, also now believe their own chances of higher honours are even more remote than those outstanding Premier players and are similarly electing to leave Premier Cricket.

“This will result in a decline in the depth and standard of Premier Cricket. If continued, the gap between Premier Cricket and first-class cricket will only grow wider, which weakens Victoria’s prospects for producing further first class and international players.’’

The Essendon submission said there was “rightly or wrongly’’ a perception that players from St Kilda and Melbourne were given “preferential selection treatment’’.

“This correspondence does not make any allegations of deliberate bias, but the perception exists nonetheless.

“It is worth considering that since 2009-10, 47 per cent of all players selected to debut for Victoria, come from just three clubs (St Kilda, Melbourne Richmond). In terms of games played (as opposed to just player numbers), 40 per cent of matches played for Victoria have been played by players from just two clubs, St Kilda and Melbourne.

“We contend that over nearly 13 years, in an 18-team competition (one team = 5.5 per cent), this is a statistical anomaly which could suggest some clubs’ players are favoured over others. To quell concerns of bias and inconsistency, we suggest the selection and player contracting process should be completed via a more transparent and broader process.

“It may also assist if the selection policies for matches and player contracts are also subject to a more considered formal policy, which is linked to Premier Cricket performances. Importantly, when considering those people and positions responsible for match and contract selection, a more frequent and regular rotation of individuals to those positions, coupled with formal guidelines, will provide more consistent outcomes and re-establish greater confidence in the process.’’

The submission also asserted that Victoria had “failed dismally’’ in producing Australian players and had done for many years.

In the past 13 years Victoria had debuted only two first-class players to have played five or more Test Matches and/or 20 ODIs. NSW had produced three times that number.

And the Victorian players had played 23 Test matches between them, compared with the NSW contingent’s 408.

In ODIs the scorecard was 138 to 515 matches, in favour of NSW.

“One of the easiest and most direct opportunities Victoria has to immediately improve the number of ‘home grown’ players who go on to Australian cricket, is to stop the practice of recruiting players from interstate,’’ the submission stated.

“Most Premier clubs have one or two players on the fringe of state selection or contract. If those players were awarded the contracts otherwise taken up by interstate players, and can immerse themselves in the CV coaching resources, programs and extra support that come with being a contracted player, it is impossible to expect they would do anything other than improve and develop into even better players.’’

Essendon’s James Seymour has won a state contract after another outstanding season in Premier Cricket.

It said Victoria had a large population with high cricket participation rates and produced a big pool of players.

It was “impossible to believe any position in a Victorian cricket team cannot be filled by a player from within the state’’.

“Given the quality of Premier Cricket within Victoria, we should be exporting excess players to other smaller states, not importing them.’’

The Bombers are seeking a formal review into the selection process.

Contacted last Friday, Tobin declined to comment.

The Vics have won the Sheffield Shield six times since 2007-08, as well as two one-day crowns in the past 10 years.

Cricket Victoria has been contacted for comment.