Cricket Victoria unveil new Coaching and Talent ID team

The new department will be led by Footscray Premier cricketer Dean Russ who has been appointed Coaching and Talent Development Manager at Cricket Victoria.

McKenna and former Australian player Cathryn Fitzpatrick are among six new Coaching and Talent Specialists working across Victoria including Cricket Ireland’s National Academy Manager Craig Hogan and ICC Americas – USA Manager Tom Evans together with current Cricket Victoria staff Paul Montgomery and Stephen Field.

McKenna, the former head coach at the Gold Coast Suns, said the cricket pathway was an exciting challenge to be involved in.

“There are lots of reasons for my interest in this role. I’ve spent more than 30 years in AFL at all levels and I’m ready for the change and new challenge this role provides,” McKenna said.

“Cricket dominates the summer landscape. Hopefully I can bring some of my experience as both a senior coach and a player into cricket and use that knowledge to help identify, manage and deliver the next generation of Victorian and hopefully Australian cricketers. I’ll have plenty of good people around me in the department who know cricket inside out.”

Russ said he was looking forward to leading the new team.

“It’s a pretty exciting team to be a part of with the range of skills and experience on offer. I’ll be working closely with Shaun Graf and Tim McCaskill and the rest of Cricket Victoria’s key staff to further develop this area of CV’s operations. This puts us on course for having the best state High Performance program in the country,” Russ said.

The new unit will be responsible for delivering a more robust talent framework to ensure the rising stars of the game are given every opportunity to earn higher honours.

Cricket Victoria General Manager of Cricket Operations Shaun Graf said the new unit would play a critical role in managing the state’s talent pipeline.

“We’ve been able to assemble an impressive list of people who collectively bring a broad range of skills to the table. Cathryn’s reputation in cricket needs no introduction and Guy brings a unique perspective on athlete management and finding the right attributes for success,” Graf said.

“Together with Craig, Tom, Stephen and Paul, this group will play a key role out in the field, looking at what we can do better with emerging players and ensuring we have the best systems and structures in place to ensure Victoria continues to produce players in the national pathway.”

The new unit is scheduled to commence work in early October.