Mitchell Marsh. You would think cricket will win his services.

[Monocle]

Mitchell Marsh has been touted as a potential AFL footballer, however he needs to decide on which sport he will follow to the highest level.

Whilst he played for WA in the State Championships this year he was to young to be drafted . At around the 191 cm mark he played as a KPP forward.

Ominous signs regarding his cricket ability.

At the young age of 17 Mitchell Marsh yesterday set a new Club record for the Fremantle Cricket Club. Marsh belted 208 in an innings that included 26 fours and 9 sixes. His innings beat the previous record of 202 not out set by his father Geoff " Swampy " Marsh some 16 years ago. It was a must win game and he produced the goods when needed.

Good chance you will see him representing Australia some time in the future with his brother Shaun.

 

[smiddaz123]

The way the Aussie team is playing at the moment, he'll be playing for them next year....

 

[Flawed Genius]

Game 3 of the series against New Zealand.

 

[thejester]

Wait, are we talking about the Marsh that didn't get a touch in the last game of the carnival?

 

[Bourky23]

yep, i think he'll be playing cricket.. usually people good at both choose footy because of the increased opportunity. but with the last name "marsh" coupled with the fact australia is looking for young players along with the fact that he is producing the goods suggests he'll be following the family tradition.

don't rule out AFL just yet though.

 

[HBF]

Have only seen him play during the carnival, but what I did see was reasonably impressive. However, some of the WA boys that have seen him more than what I have, have suggested that he should try out for cricket, as he has some issues that he needs to work on in footy.

 

[Rob]

Depends how good a footy player he is. If he was a top 20 draft pick, it might be a hard decision for him.
Bottom line with cricket is that he's almost certain to make stuff all from it until he's in his early 20's at least. To make a decent living (anywhere) you really need to be in the top 30 cricket players in Australia. You can be in the top 300 footy players and you'll be on 6 figures.

 

[gandaal]

Depends how good a footy player he is. If he was a top 20 draft pick, it might be a hard decision for him.
Bottom line with cricket is that he's almost certain to make stuff all from it until he's in his early 20's at least. To make a decent living (anywhere) you really need to be in the top 30 cricket players in Australia. You can be in the top 300 footy players and you'll be on 6 figures.

Top 200 players at the most. There isn't that much money in footy. Still your point is valid about the difference, but you still have to take into account that the typical career in footy is very short (a couple of years) while the top 70 cricketers can easily play into their early 30s.

 

[the_doc]

His innings beat the previous record of 202 not out set by his father Geoff " Swampy " Marsh some 16 years ago. .

Believe it was his dads late opening partners record at freo and not swampy's

 

[Rob]

Top 200 players at the most. There isn't that much money in footy.

You reckon only 13 players per club are on $100k or more? I'd be stunned if there was even one club that had that few. There wouldn't be many non recent draftees running around that would be on less.

Still your point is valid about the difference, but you still have to take into account that the typical career in footy is very short (a couple of years) while the top 70 cricketers can easily play into their early 30s.

True - and that most (world class) cricketers don't start earning big dollars until their late 20's. Generally you know whether you're going to make it in footy by the time you're 22 - enough time to switch back to cricket if you want.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I think he would be in the top 20ish if he got drafted into the AFL

But he;s a much better cricket player

 

[freodog]

I think he would have been pretty keen on footy until seeing his brother in action last year in the IPL and seeing how much money he will be making on that alone.

 

[SBI]

I think he would have been pretty keen on footy until seeing his brother in action last year in the IPL and seeing how much money he will be making on that alone.

Exactly. All the T20 comps springing up around the world would make cricket a pretty decent living for him.

 

[Sico 17]

I watched my nephew play at Sunderlands in the morning and thought I would hang around in the afternoon to see how he went, glad I did! Will do the same next weekend as Pomers will drop back and bat for Gosnells.

 

[peterss]

I can confirm that Mitch Marsh has chosen Cricket over Football......My source is from people who work @ the WACA and after all i do work there and from a family friend of the Marsh family.

 

[kane249]

Believe it was his dads late opening partners record at freo and not swampy's

Correct, it was the late Mark McPhee who previously had the record, not Swampy

 

[Lach72]

Believe it was his dads late opening partners record at freo and not swampy's

Correct

 

[worsfold]

Mitch has been selected to make his debut for the warriors on sunday in bunbury in a onedayer v SA

 

[Soups]

I can confirm that Mitch Marsh has chosen Cricket over Football......My source is from people who work @ the WACA and after all i do work there and from a family friend of the Marsh family.

I can also back this on up Peterss and have written in the thread about him over at the cricket board. Have heard from one of his good friends over there that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his brother and his old man

 

[Dunn - Well Done]

I went to school with Mitch and were friends but not that close. He has choosen cricket over footy. Now that he is playing for the Warriors he is defiatnly choosing cricket also he had decided a while ago due to the money his bro was getting for the IPL, i heard that his dad wanted him over their in 2010 maybe 2011. Hes set with cricket now and is the youngest guy ever to represent a state cricket side i believe it might just be WA. But his 208 was very promising aswell towards cricket.

For Football he has had several meetings with Buckley and others about this and wouldve probably been a top 20 pick maybe even top 10. He couldve gone either way but i dont reckon he wouldve last in the footy scenes his brother was a better football than him. Shaun was considered better than Kerr at 17 in year 12, he towered him up when they played on eachother Wesley vs Aquinas.

He will earn heaps more money playing cricket, you have IPL, already warriors contract and game pay and than look for Australia contract in 2 or 3 years time when hes 19. He will be earning big bucks and FWIW is a way better cricketer than footballer.

For football he needed to work on his fitness, skills and speed, he had too many floors to his game even though he probably couldve been a very good FF for an AFL side.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

For Football he has had several meetings with Buckley and others about this and wouldve probably been a top 20 pick maybe even top 10..

He's a good, young footballer. If he decides to nominate for the AFL draft though, I'd be very surprised if he went in the first round TBH.

 

[stanley]

Shaun was considered better than Kerr at 17 in year 12, he towered him up when they played on eachother Wesley vs Aquinas.



Ah he wasn't even considered close to kerr as a footy player. Kerr was that much better it wasnt funny.

 

[eminbee]

Only seen MM play footy once, and 18 mths ago now. He was at CHF for Wesley 1st XVIII in a PSA match, in a game where Wesley expected to struggle. Opposition had 2 players now on AFL lists, and quite a few more now in WAFL.
MM was the stand-out player on the ground, and only in yr 11 then.
I pride myself on being a good judge of talent (not having had much myself), and I thought he looked like a young left-footed Jonathan Brown. Might need some work, but had all the raw material.
If the game for flannelled fools wins, it will be footy's loss, trust me on that!

 

[larrikin]

I'm lead to believe by people who should know that the decision hasn't been made yet, although cricket is more likely. A couple of people in here might be jumping the gun slightly

 

[Tundrawolf]

I'm lead to believe by people who should know that the decision hasn't been made yet, although cricket is more likely. A couple of people in here might be jumping the gun slightly

I agree.

Also his love of the South Freo footy club will factor in his decision, he not only wants to follow in his father's cricketing footsteps but also emulate his dad's at footy. Geoff played 5 games for South in 1978 when the WAFL was a vibrant and powerful competition, no mean feat.