Premier Cricket: Kingston Hawthorn coach Colin Siller reveals his ambitions for club

Kingston Hawthorn’s new international coach is embracing the challenge of lifting the winless Hawks up the ladder in Victorian Premier Cricket.

Kingston Hawthorn's coach Colin Siller. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Colin Siller says Kingston Hawthorn is on the right track, despite its first XI going without a win in the opening five games of the Victorian Premier Cricket season.

Cricket has taken the affable Scot around the world since becoming a club pro at 18 three decades ago. He’s seen it all; the highs, lows and everything in between.

And Siller, 54, is embracing the challenge of lifting Kingston Hawthorn up the ladder.

He says the club is special to him and he wants to see it flourish.

“I used to play for Hawthorn when I was 19,” he said.

“So I understand the history and I knew it was going to take time.

“So from my point of view the next few years is all about progression.”

Cory Cater bowling for Kingston Hawthorn.

Zack Richardson.

Siller sees talent at the Hawks and speaks enthusiastically about the early season success of the seconds (three wins), thirds (two) and fourths (two).

All three sides sit in the top eight.

“What I wanted to do was try over time to make sure they got up the table,” he said.

“And of course it was going to be easier to start lower down the club.

“The first team will be the last to get fixed if you like.

“Right now the fours, threes and the twos are a good chance of making finals. Now there’s a long way to go yet but for me even if one team makes the finals — hopefully it could be all three — that for me would be a great success in year one.”

Kingston Hawthorn’s first XI sits on the bottom of the ladder but the Hawks have shown glimpses, like in Round 3 when they racked up 320 against Dandenong, with skipper Josh Manning making 96.

Kingston Hawthorn's coach Colin Siller (right).

Hawks young paceman Tyler Pearson. Pictures: Valeriu Campan

Siller believes the Hawks will celebrate their share of wins this season and says “there’s a lot of learning to be done” at Kingston Hawthorn.

“Every player is different,’’ he said.

“Some of them just literally need encouragement. Others you need to say, ‘look, if you want to play at this standard this is what’s required. Are you willing to give that time and that commitment?’So it’s different for different people.”

As well as his Kingston Hawthorn commitments, Siller has been working with the San Francisco Unicorns cricket side.

Last week he was at the MCG with the Unicorns.

“The past week has been a dream come true,’’ Siller said.

“I was sitting in the dressing room where Don Bradman and Shane Warne and all these legends have been and you’re going, ‘so many people around the world would like to be doing that’.’’

As a player-coach in Ireland in the late 1990s, Siller coached a young Eoin Morgan, who went on to captain England to the 2019 World Cup title. He also coached England’s Sam Curren and Ireland’s Paul Stirling as kids.

“To see Eoin Morgan lift the World Cup and to know I played just a little part in that gives you a huge amount of satisfaction,’’ he said.