***Official*** Australian Domestic Thread 2012/13

[NUFAN]

I think there's a reasonable chance Queensland might bring a specialist bowler in for Neser, or possibly even Reardon given that Neser hit runs. They know the pitch is going to be flat; I don't think they'll want to be relying on Hopes to be a strike bowler as he has all season on that sort of wicket.

I have no idea if Cutting will be back from injury by then.

It might not be that flat. Surely Tassie would be confident enough that their batting is stronger, but yeah ideally we get a strike bowler in place of McDonald at least, hopefully its Cutting.

Huge task for QLD we willl rely heavily on Hartley, Hopes, Harris you'd expect.

 

[stephen]

I'd love to see Hartley make another shield ton in a winning final.

 

[stephen]

Incidentally, does the shield finish slightly later this season? I only ask because I remember a couple of seasons ago some grade cricketers were telling me that the state players were back for the final round of club matches, but grade cricket is half way through its finals stage.

 

[Spikey]

SA avoid the wooden spoon

Nope

 

[bondi beach]

NSW have exceeded my low expectations.

Pluses have been Sandhu and Zampa who will surely get full contracts for next year, Tremain has also shown promise, Henry double hundred against Sri Lanka, the form of Michael Clarke who has scored almost 2,000 runs @ 50 with four hundreds, three tons from Haddin and Copeland emergence as an all-rounder.

Minuses have been the long-term injury to Cummins and the batting form of Nevill, Maddinson, Rohrer, Patterson and O'Keefe.

I think Rohrer is a very good choice as captain. Hopefully it will mean O'Keefe can rediscover the form with bat and ball of two years ago that got him international recognition in the one-day and should have got him test recognition ahead of Beer, Doherty and Lyon whose first class records are mediocre.

Abbott, Bills, Conway, Doran, Lalor and Cruickshank should be heading for the exit door. New South Wales have thirteen seamers which even with international call ups is far too many. Even with these four out they will still have nine seamers which is more than enough.

NSW squad for 2013/14: MJ Clarke, SR Watson, DA Warner, SPD Smith, BJ Rohrer, SO Henry, DG Dawson, NJ Maddinson, DP Hughes, KR Patterson, BJ Haddin, PJ Nevill, SNJ O'Keefe, A Zampa, MA Starc, PJ Cummins, MC Henriques, DE Bollinger, JR Hazlewood, TA Copeland, GS Sandhu, CP Tremain,

 

[brockley]

Australia A tour Europe,play Scotland,Ireland and Gloucestershire.

 

[dermo]

qld have no batsmen in the top 10 scorers and 1 bowler in the top 10 wicket takers and thats gannon whose 8th, how does such a **** team keep making the finals

 

[Top_Cat]

Cosgrove gonna explode in the final, QLD bowlers are right up his alley and he has a few scores to settle against Harris.

 

[stephen]

qld have no batsmen in the top 10 scorers and 1 bowler in the top 10 wicket takers and thats gannon whose 8th, how does such a **** team keep making the finals

They're a champion team, not a team of champions. Seriously, our bowlers have stood up all season but injury has prevented full seasons for the likes of Cutting and Feldman.

 

[uvelocity]

boof for pm

 

[Nate]

Disappointed that NSW didn't make the final. Are a better side than Queensland imo.

 

[Jnr.]

I find it astounding how a team that loses more games than it wins (5 vs 4) can reach the final. In saying that, the Bulls will probably win the Shield.

 

[TimAngas]

If SA could get a decent bat then we might do okay next year. It's a pity we roll over teams thanks to Sayers/Mennie then tend to get rolled over even worse ourselves.

Klinger has dropped off since last year but Ferguson is still okay. If Hughes gets dropped from the test side then our chances of winning are somewhat increased IMO.

 

[adub]

If SA could get a decent bat then we might do okay next year.

Every team barring Tassie are in the same boat.

I would have been delighted for NSW to make the final and we probably suffered more at the hands of the weather than any other team, but in the fair dinkum stakes our batting stank to high heaven which put us in the same boat as SA, QLD, WA, and to a marginally lesser extent Vic.

Tassie deserve to win as they are the closest to a balanced side with some actual top order bats that can score runs. The only thing they really miss is a spinner, but at Bellerive that's not really a loss.

 

[TimAngas]

Every team barring Tassie are in the same boat.

I would have been delighted for NSW to make the final and we probably suffered more at the hands of the weather than any other team, but in the fair dinkum stakes our batting stank to high heaven which put us in the same boat as SA, QLD, WA, and to a marginally lesser extent Vic.

Tassie deserve to win as they are the closest to a balanced side with some actual top order bats that can score runs. The only thing they really miss is a spinner, but at Bellerive that's not really a loss.

NSW have Haddin who this year has averaged over 50.
Vic have Rodgers, D. Hussey, Quiney all decent top/middle order bats.
Bulls have Burns who is okay if not good + tail who can wag alot.

SA have to play bats like Head and Carey. Not to say they don't have potential.

 

[Andre]

Cosgrove gonna explode in the final, QLD bowlers are right up his alley and he has a few scores to settle against Harris.

Do tell?

 

[adub]

NSW have Haddin who this year has averaged over 50.
Vic have Rodgers, D. Hussey, Quiney all decent top/middle order bats.
Bulls have Burns who is okay if not good + tail who can wag alot.

SA have to play bats like Head and Carey. Not to say they don't have potential.

SA are no worse off than most. Ferguson actually outperformed his fc average. Not a big deal granted, but something very few other top order bats achieved this year. Hughes was excellent obviously which is why you will need to make do without him because he has earned the right to be perservered with in the Australian side. Head obviously didn't set the world on fire, but he was at least only SA's 4th top scorer. Marcus Harris' numbers were just as wretched and he was WA's leading scorer. Just terrible.

Hadds did do well and averaged 50 and Moz averaged 77. Big deal. Both played half the games and batted 6/7. NSW's top order stank. Maddinson was closest to decent and he averaged 35. No where near good enough.

Rogers was excellent which is why I advocate for him to get more tests in the Ashes and why I said 'Victoria to a slightly lesser extent'. When he retires the Vics are really in the ****. Hussey unfortunately had a horror year that calls into question his future. Quiney is a gimp. Cameron White offered more FFS. THE most undeserving player to receive a baggy green in a period that includes test appearances by Xavier Doherty, Glenn Maxwell, and Michael Beer.

Burns averaged 34.5 and that was boosted by runs he made in the last two games after he was dropped down to 5 because of his failures. Yet even with such a dire season he was easily Qld's best bat with the keeper and the 34yo no.7 meato bowling all rounder a long way back as next best. Worst team to make a Shield final I can recall (would have applied equally to any Tassie's opponents).

The fact that Qld (and NSW, and WA, and SA) were mostly saved by the tail just reinforces my point. Our batting stocks are lower than I've ever seen. When Trent Copeland and Ben Cutting are outperforming 75% of the guys who are supposedly being selected on the basis of their batting then we clearly have a problem. Only Tassie with 3 of the top 4 run scorers for the season can be reasonably happy with their batting.

But even that just highlights the absolute **** hole we find ourselves in. No.1 is an ATG who has had a glorious farewell tour, but may not even go round again next year and is certainly not going to be a prospect for the Test side. No.2 is a great old pro who should have played more Tests but at 35 is probably not going to even though in our current desperate situation I think could offer 2-3 years of quality. And No.3 is a consistent performer who because of his 'fitness issues' has long been overlooked and will most likely continue to be so. 10-15 years ago the likes of Cosgrove were a dime a dozen in the Shield and would never be talked about as Test prospects because there were better players who made more runs, but these days his consistent (but hardly brilliant) numbers stand out in an ocean of dross.

Of the younger guys Doolan's year was passable, but he needs to repeat it next year before he can be legitimately thought of as pressing a case, Ferguson and White were barely better than their usual rubbish and Burns and Maddinson failed but not as completely as the rest of their peers who were rubbish. Unless the selector's rethink Rogers and Cosgrove we are stuck with our current squad for good or ill. I don't know what the cause or solution to that fact is, but it's unavoidable. There just aren't any good young bats going out and demanding the selectors look long and hard at them.

 

[Tangles]

Mixed feelings on Cosgrove. Being blacklisted is a bit harsh and its disappointing that we are in an era where only 'athletes' can get a call up. But if thats the only thing in in his path you would think he would have shown some fitness improvement intent at least.

 

[Top_Cat]

Do tell?

Nothing too explosive, just a personality clash, fat jokes, near punch-on, etc.

 

[adub]

Mixed feelings on Cosgrove. Being blacklisted is a bit harsh and its disappointing that we are in an era where only 'athletes' can get a call up. But if thats the only thing in in his path you would think he would have shown some fitness improvement intent at least.

True enough, but what's more important? For me the best way to get young batsmen to make runs is to make it clear that they will never get a look at a baggy green until they show they can consistently (ie 2 or 3 consecutive seasons) be up near the top of the runs/averages in the Shield. If it was a choice between Cosgrove and say Burns if he'd averaged 45 instead of 35 this year to follow up his good 11/12 then sure fat boy misses out. But 35 when you're being hidden at 5 by the end of the year is just appalling and no where near deserving of a test cap over a guy who churns em out year after year at the top of the order no matter how many KFC buckets he's downed in the off-season.

I do wish he'd slim down and show he was more hungry for a test call up than the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices, but we just don't have any better options. Better to select him, and work his arse off in camp as part of the squad with the clear message that he has to shape up to stay there than to simply write him off when we don't have any better options. If it's a choice between Cosgrove waddling between the wickets or Rob Quiney's well compiled 9's well it's no choice at all.