Longtime David Warner mentor Laurie Heil remembered ahead of Australian opener’s Test retirement
One of the men who had the greatest influence on a young David Warner — including making him bat right-handed — has been fondly remembered for his role in shaping one of Australia’s greatest batters.
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A late former policeman has been remembered as a key figure in the career of David Warner after handing the then teenager one of his most defining challenges.
Laurie Heil, originally a police inspector from Western Australia, was the beloved childhood coach of Warner and Usman Khawaja before he died of emphysema in 2016, aged 77.
Warner wore a black armband and made a Test century against New Zealand that he dedicated to Heil at the time of his death.
His junior mentor will be at the forefront of his mind again on Wednesday when the 37-year-old walks out to bat in his farewell Test at the SCG.
As a youth, Warner was plagued by dismissals in which he was caught in the air and it was Heil who decided to convert him into a right-handed batsman to help his charge more easily keep the ball along the ground.
Warner switched back to batting left-handed 18 months later to maximise his power but the challenge of completely switching around his game improved his technique and helped finetune the aggressive style that would revolutionise the game.
Khawaja said Heil has a special place in he and Warner’s hearts and would be remembered fondly this week.
“Laurie was a legend, I loved Laurie,” Khawaja said.
“He gave so much to cricket and he loved both me and Davey.
“He was a great coach, he was a great fella. He was always really supportive of both me and Davey and you need people like that in junior development.
“It’s very hard to make it to the top without a lot of help and he was just one of them. He was a big part of our rep career and our development.
“We always kept in touch with Laurie and he had a big place in our heart.”
Heil was a well-respected junior coach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and long-term official at Randwick-Petersham.
In a statement on the club’s website at the time, Heil’s influence on Warner was highlighted in a tribute.
“His commitment knew no bounds and he became a mentor and coach to David Warner — an association that gave Laurie tremendous pride and satisfaction,” the statement said.
Warner’s under-17s and under-19s coach at NSW, David Freedman, said there was one moment — which is not reflected in the scoresheet or record books — that defined Warner’s unique greatness as a cricketer.
Freedman said Warner’s strongest attribute was he was always team first, a sentiment backed up by Warner’s first NSW captain Dominic Thornely.
“I remember one game playing Northern Territory and we were that far ahead of the game and we had to bowl them out for under half our score to get a bonus point,” Freedman said.
“Dave might have got nought with the bat, and this was the 50th over of the bowling innings and we were that far ahead.
“But he’s run 30 yards from the mid-off boundary to turn a two into a one and I think we got a bonus point by one run.
“Little things like that are the stuff that sticks in my mind about him.
“It was always team first. It was always whatever the team needed.
“He was always the first bloke to help you pack up a kit. Always the first person on the bus. Little one per cent things, he’s always been really good at.
“You talk to anyone who has played with him over the past 15 years and they’d have similar stories, I reckon.
“Always in the game but always a really selfless player.”
THE MAN WHO MADE WARNER AN OPENER
The man who first promoted David Warner to open the batting has revealed the selection tussle that almost stopped it from happening.
Warner started off his state career for NSW batting where he had throughout all his years in underage cricket – down the order at No. 6, No. 7 or even No.8.
For NSW and Australia under-17 and under-19 teams, he was picked as much for his leg-spin as his lower-order big hitting.
Never before had anyone even envisaged Warner as an opening batsman, until then NSW captain Dominic Thornely sensed something special in the left-handed kid who was thrust into his one-day team in late 2008, and who this week will farewell Test cricket as a giant.
Warner’s skill and aggressive stroke play were obvious but what Thornely saw that others didn’t was the temperament and fearless mentality of a kid who would not be intimidated or drop his head if he failed.
With Phil Jaques and Simon Katich playing for Australia, Thornely wanted Warner to open in the first one-day cup match of the 2008-09 season against Western Australia in Perth, only to be overruled by NSW selectors.
The captain wasn’t going to stay silent for long and soon insisted upon a change that unleashed the greatest all-format opening batsman the game has seen.
“David was selected in game one over in Perth and he batted at seven,” Thornely said before Warner’s farewell Test.
“I was the captain and I wanted him to be opening at the time and I made it known to the selectors that I would love him to open the batting because of his ability to hit the ball square of the wicket against fast bowling.
“Selectors disagreed. Selectors wanted to see him earn his mark, I guess. Make some runs, prove himself at the level. But I thought a bit differently.
“I knew, one, he had the skill, but, secondly, he had the mindset and the mental skill to be able to compete at the level straight away.
“We had a really good win over in WA but we didn’t do as well with the bat as we should have and I just wanted to change the way we were playing the game by getting on top early and getting stuck in from the get-go.”
Thornely said Warner was going to be the man to spark a change.
“I remember a selection meeting before we played Tasmania at Hurstville Oval where I said to the selectors, ‘In fairness guys, you guys have selected the 12. Fantastic. My job now is to select the batting order as the captain of the team. David is going to be opening the batting’,” he said.
Warner then played the first trademark matchwinning innings of his startling career when he smashed 165 not out off 112 balls.
NSW mowed down Tasmania’s target of 246 in 35 overs with only one down on the scoreboard.
Two years later, Australia A asked Warner to open on a tour in Zimbabwe, and in January 2011 the left-handed destroyer opened in his first Sheffield Shield match for NSW and smashed 99.
Later that year he made his Test debut for Australia at the top of the order.
That Warner has been able to maintain a strike rate opening the batting in Test cricket of more than 70 for every 100 balls faced – and at an average of 44.58 – is astounding.
Thornely said he wasn’t surprised by Warner’s unyielding consistency across 111 Tests.
“My thought was this kid won’t go into his shell when he doesn’t do well,’’ he said.
“He’s going to remain true to himself and he’s going to remain confident in his own ability.
“He has an extraordinary gift and talent. Let’s leverage and harness that as best we can. Give him the best opportunity.
“Go out and bat at none down and take control of the game and show us what you can do, as opposed to going out when the score might be 4-30 and having that potential to go into your shell.
“No, I’m not surprised (at his consistency) because the kid always had drive and work ethic.
“His skill set was always going to see him be successful because he had enough confidence in his own ability to do well while still respecting the game of cricket and his teammates.
“It wasn’t just about himself.”
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