Shield Round 3: South Australia Vs Western Australia @ Adelaide Oval; 26th-29th October 2023

[largebus]

Facts are, there is nobody in the current Redbacks team who will ever wear a green baggy cap. We are not producing future Test players, we are just a dumping ground for players from interstate hoping to make something of their careers.

I've followed the Redbacks since the mid-60s, and home-grown players to progress to successful Test careers have been few and far between. Many of our successes in that time have been on the back of international players (Sobers, Richards, etc) and interstate players (Mallett, Jenner, Siddons, etc). Even some of our all-time greats (Bradman, Grimmett, etc) were from interstate.

Maybe it's the Adelaide water or something

Remember when Dizzy was hired and he was the Messiah and SA cricket would be a forced to be reckoned with? That was before he was Redbacked into mediocrity.

They hired Mike hussey to do a review, he said there are too many grade cricket clubs with talent too thinly spread, much like the AFL has too many victorian clubs, and some need to merge.

As long as vested interests prevent mergers and better pathways for youngsters SA will be a dumping ground of NSW 2nd graders.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Remember when Dizzy was hired and he was the Messiah and SA cricket would be a forced to be reckoned with? That was before he was Redbacked into mediocrity.

They hired Mike hussey to do a review, he said there are too many grade cricket clubs with talent too thinly spread, much like the AFL has too many victorian clubs, and some need to merge.

As long as vested interests prevent mergers and better pathways for youngsters SA will be a dumping ground of NSW 2nd graders.

Hmmn … interesting points about the number of Grade Teams. I suspect one of the factors in SAs struggles to produce to First Class Cricketers are the roads they play on.

I hope there is some unpredictability in the Grade pitches. If they are modelled on the AO and Rolton autobahns then batsmen do not have their techniques adequately examined and there is nothing to encourage bowlers.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I am re-reading a book titled "Chappell's last stand", a book about how Ian Chappell turned SA from an underperforming team the previous few years into winning the Sheffield Shield in 1975-76. A major point, along the lines of what I've been saying, is that SA teams had been full of guys just doing enough to keep their place in the side, and Chappell brought in Cosier, 20-year-old Hookes, and 18-year-old Darling, three guys willing to do anything to play for Australia. This is what the Redbacks are badly lacking right now, young players desperate to play for Australia. Too many player who just do enough to stop them from being dropped.