Meet the new coach who will lead both the Tigers and Hurricanes for the next three years

The new head coach of Cricket Tasmania’s female program says it was a no-brainer to climb aboard the Cane and Tiger train for the next three years. FIND OUT HOW SHE PLANS TO LEAD THE TEAM

Jude Coleman new Tasmanian Tigers women's head coach. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

THE new head coach of Cricket Tasmania’s female program says it was a no-brainer to climb aboard the Cane and Tiger Train for the next three years as she prepares to lead the team with a demanding yet nurturing coaching style.

Jude Coleman, who officially took the reins on Tuesday following the departure of interim coach Dan Marsh, will lead the state’s top tier female program with a wealth of experience having been an assistant coach for both South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers for the past three years following a stellar playing career with her home state of Queensland.

In her first appearance as Tasmania’s new head coach, Coleman said it was an exciting time in her career after changing professions in pursuit of a head coaching role.

“I’ve always wanted to be a head coach and I gave up a teaching career about six years ago now to go into coaching and this was always a goal of mine,” Coleman said.

“I mentioned to ‘Sal’ [former coach and current General Manager of High Performance Salliann Beams] through the interview process that I’ve been watching Tassie from afar the last few years and I really enjoy the way they go about their cricket and I love the brand and style of cricket they play.

Jude Coleman new Tasmanian Tigers women's head coach. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“So when this job came up it was a bit of a no-brainer to have a go.”

The 41-year-old Queenslander said she would set the bar high with her players and revealed her coaching style was a combination of an ‘old school’ approach of being a hard task master with that of a relationship focused ‘player’s coach.’

“I would say I’m a mix of both of those things and I certainly feel like a player relationship is really crucial but I also like to think that players have standards and would do anything for the team to meet those standards.

“I do come from an old school background but having that background in teaching as well has taught me that people are different nowadays so I think that [player and coach] relationship is still really key.

“It’s about really being willing to do the hard work and really drive performance but I think there’s that nurturing component to that as well so it’s setting high standards but also supporting those.”

Former Hurricanes and Tigers coach Salliann Beams . Picture: Chris Kidd

Beams, who vacated the head coaching role in August after leading both the Tigers and Hurricanes female programs since 2018, said Coleman was a shining light in the application process and would continue to set high standards in the program.

“Jude was incredible throughout the process and it really came across with her passion and her want to lead, which you need a lot of energy for, but also with her passion to continue the success we’ve built here,” Beams said.

“The key thing that stood out for me is she really understands what a high performance environment is.

“She’s been in different environments, whether it’s domestically with the SACA (South Australian Cricket Association), from the WBBL, from CA (Cricket Australia), she’s got strong values and she knows how she wants to lead.

“When you’ve been in these environments you’re very well equipped to deal with everything that’s thrown at you, and then with the strive to want to continue and push the standards and expectations.”

Both Coleman and Beams said their relationship had gotten off to a great start despite the admittedly unusual predicament of the incoming coach having her predecessor as her new boss.