A tough season on the field for Greenvale Kangaroos in Victorian Premier Cricket has come to an end, with some hard lessons for an inexperienced group likely to bring benefits in future years.
The young and inexperienced Kangaroos racked up just a solitary win.
For coach Stan Nell, while the season was painful, he hopes the experience will hold the young side in good stead.
“It was a pretty tough year, if I’m to be honest,” Nell said. “But I think we’re taking steps forward with player development.
“We’ve identified a core group who played in the first 11 this season – 14 or 15 of them. And in the seconds, thirds and fourths, we have a really good group of about 20 young players. If we can keep them together, we’ll develop them for first 11 cricket.”
Nell, in his first season as head coach, said it had been hard at times to make the decisions needed for the long term.
“We identified players we think are first 11 material and gave them opportunities before they may have been ready for it.
“That’s not easy as a coach, but we’ve established a base for the future and if you want to build a side you need to bite the bullet.
“I’m looking forward to next year, to a lot of good things ahead. Hopefully, we can recruit a couple of experienced players.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Kangaroos, with several players making the most of their opportunities,
“Adam Amin played his first full year in the firsts and made 496 runs,” Nell said. “He’s only 18 and has been a huge plus for us. I have a lot of faith in him.
“Trent Waring took 33 wickets in the firsts and seconds and has done well, while Josh Trembearth had a good patch in the firsts with 50s against the top two sides, which shows he can play,” the coach added. “They [Amin, Waring and Trembearth] weren’t in contention for first 11 cricket last season.”
The end of a disappointing season for the Kangaroos came at the hands of Dandenong, which easily accounted for Greenvale. Needing 253 for victory, the Kangaroos were skittled for 105.
Only Harry Dearden, with 47, was able to muster any resistance. In their second innings, the Kangaroos were 4-169 at stumps. Dearden backed up with 56 in the second dig, while Amin made 79.
“Our inexperience showed through in both innings,” Nell said. “In the second, we were 0-136. Our top three batsmen are [aged] 18 … they will be better for the experience.
“Experience is one thing I can’t buy for them. We have to be patient.”
