The young guns ready to step up and lead Essendon’s Premier Cricket rebuild
After a tumultuous off-season, Essendon is looking to the future with a number of youngsters set to feature in the First XI. Coach Ben Fletcher discusses expectations.
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Hunger is the key word at Essendon this Premier Cricket season.
Hunger to improve, hunger to compete and a hunger to win.
The later might not happen as often as the Bombers have been used to in previous seasons after a tumultuous off-season.
For possibly the first time in club history it will not have a current or former state capped player.
That won’t stop the club’s youngsters from putting their best foot forward.
Essendon lost leading run-scorer Farzan Chowna and Victoria paceman Cam McClure to rivals, club great Tom O’Donnell has retired and James Seymour remains in contract limbo.
Englishman Harry Duke arrives from Yorkshire, Josh Trembearth crosses from St Kilda, while Will Dundon, Jacob Pawlowicz and young gun Jackson Martin are also on board.
Bombers coach Ben Fletcher said the keys would be handed to the club’s future.
“We’ve had a massive pre-season with 58 players on our list, so we’ve actually got 11 players that won’t get a game in Round 1,” Fletcher said.
“We’ve got 13 coaches in our coaching structure and support staff, which is probably a record in Premier Cricket I’d imagine.
“We’re such a young list – I daresay the youngest First XI team – we were ranked 16th last season and we’ve lost a fair bit of experience out of that.
“What we’re looking for is fast improvement from our young, hungry playing group – if they can improve 5 to 10 per cent to help us be competitive that’s what we’re looking for.
“It’s a bit of an unknown to be honest, in terms of our output based on a young list, hence why we’ve bolstered our coaching structure to try and mould it.”
Fletcher said bolstering the coaching staff was critical to bringing the club’s young talent up to the level.
The likes of former Victoria First Class players Ash Gilbert (chairman of selectors) and Louis Cameron (bowling) and West Indian Test opener Omar Phillips (batting) will pass on their expertise.
Fletcher said the opportunities were there for young players to seize this season.
“I could be wrong but in Round 1 we’ll have one player that’s played more than 40 games of Premier Cricket,” he said.
“We’re playing against Carlton that probably have seven players that have played 100-plus.
“We’ll played fearlessly, I won’t say it’s a free swing for us.
“The culture is incredible at the club, we thought it was good last year, but this year is a whole new level of hunger.
“We won’t put a number on wins and losses, I feel that’s a bit unfair on this list.
“As long as we learn our lessons, play with spirit and get back up off the canvas when we do lose games.”
With the likes of Chowna, McClure and Seymour leaving the club, the likes of captain Liam Molloy, Aiden Salvado, Emerson White, Nick McGuane and Connor Poulton are senior players.
Second XI leading run-scorers Nick Markovski and Muhammad Arsalan and wicket-taker Henry Robertson will look to step up and cement their place in the senior side.
Fletcher was also excited about a number of young talents coming through, including Victoria Under-19s paceman Muhammad Abdulrafay and under-17s’ Simrth Gill.
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“Jackson Martin is one to watch for the future, he’s only 15, he’s an elite left-arm orthodox spinner,” he said.
“Simrth Gil is in the Vic under-17s and looks really good and I’d keep an eye on Muhammad Rafay who’s been in the under-19s and picked up a yard of pace and looks stronger.
“Archit Bhatia and Agam Sandhu look like good prospects and players like White, Salvado and Markovski – we feel like they’re ready to take the next step.”
Essendon travels to Princes Park to tackle reigning premier Carlton in the season-opening one-dayer on Saturday.
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