by Michaela Meade
Greenvale Kangaroos are taking learnings out of every loss in the Victorian Premier Cricket season, according to coach Damian Shanahan.
The Kangaroos have had a difficult start to their season, losing matches against Melbourne, St Kilda and Melbourne University.
They are currently sitting last on the ladder.
Shanahan said as a young side, the team was still learning their skillsets, but he was pleased with how the side had approached each game.
“We’ve played super powerhouses to start the season off,” he said.
“With Melbourne, which was a fantastic contest …To be brutally honest, we should have won that game.
“We were in position to win … we just didn’t take the advantage when the advantage was there to be taken.
“So that’s something we obviously learned as a young group and we try to put into action for the future. It’s another experience gained.
“Then [against] St Kilda, we got obliterated in that game.
“[St Kilda scored] 300 plus, [and have] a stockpile of Victorian players, state talent players, as far as age group, so you’re up against it when you’re a young, developing side.
“Then against [Melbourne University], we were probably potentially 30-40 runs short of being really competitive.
“We had some really positive things come out of it.”
Shanhan said there were no “panic stations” about the losses.
He said the team knows where they are at, and what they need to do for the remainder of the season – continue learning.
The 2021-22 season marks Shanahan’s second with the Kangaroos.
Shanahan said he was still putting the “jigsaw puzzle” together for the season.
“It takes a while to get synergy with the players, and try to push the club forward,” he said.
“We’re a club where we’re really looking at the bigger picture of things.
“It’s not just a 12-month process, it’s more of a longer term plan that’s in place, at my end, it’s a three to five year journey.
“[We’re aimed at] making it super competitive across the board, in all four grades.
“That’s going to take some time.”
Shanahan said the team’s development had experienced some setbacks throughout the year, including the COVID-19 disruptions and time he spent overseas in the Middle East, coaching at the T20 World Cup.
Shanahan got out of mandatory quarantine and it was straight into the first game for the season.
“The weather hasn’t been kind to us, either, [in terms of] being able to train the way we want to train,” Shanahan said.
“It’s been difficult to get full training sessions in.
“There’s a variety of different things that have been roadblocks but, at the end of the day, I’m loving it.
“Every week’s a new challenge for us, and every week’s an opportunity to improve.”
The Kangaroos were set to play Northcote at the weekend, after deadline.
