By Marcus Uhe
It was an outcome and scenario that Hollywood’s sharpest minds couldn’t possibly conjure, as Casey South Melbourne unwittingly became the star victim in its very own horror film.
The Swans had one hand on the Victorian Premier Cricket championship in last season’s grand final but squandered a first innings lead and near-unassailable position on the final day to surrender the title to Carlton in extraordinary circumstances at Essendon’s Windy Hill.
Results like that have the potential to fracture a playing group, and shatter the goodwill of what was a stoic and successful campaign until that point in time.
With this in mind, the Swans made the conscious decision over the offseason to tackle the subject head-on, leaving capacity for the matter to fester.
Players, coaches and members of the club’s support staff met for lunch in South Yarra during winter before congregating in a private function room to discuss thoughts, feelings and emotions surrounding the events of the fateful weekend back in March.
Returning captain, Luke Shelton, said he thought the exercise was the “right thing to do”, and said it was a “really good exercise”.
“Walking in that day, we had to talk about a few things that people were probably sitting on and didn’t really want to talk about, but the more the session went on and people started opening up, I think everyone got a lot out of it,” Shelton said.
“Cricket is full of huge moments and there were plenty over the whole weekend, so it wasn’t just the last day or the last couple of hours, it was the whole weekend.
“Some of our batters recognised some crucial moments of getting out.
“We lost a few clumps of wickets, as did they and it was sort of how the game went. “Bowling-wise, some bowlers reflected on some things they could do better but I think it was more those key moments and understanding crucial times before breaks, after breaks where you need to reset, get through or make sure you start again.
“I definitely think it will fuel our season going forward and the boys are really pumped.”
With the key figures at the club having come to terms with what transpired over those three days, and coach Will Carr running an AFL-style preseason putting a heavy emphasis on fitness, the Swans are raring to get out and put their winter nets hours into practice in upcoming practice games.
Fine-tuning their preparation for a long season ahead will be critical for the Swans, given the perennially tight composition of the ladder’s upper echelon every year – the Swans stormed from fourth, where just two points separated third and sixth place on the table, to make the grand final, a weekend that ended in heartbreak but a season to reflect on proudly.
Top-order batter Matt Calder, who wowed the competition with a blistering cameo in the T20 rounds of last season’s competition has made the permanent switch the Casey Fields, having moved to Melbourne from Sydney, while allrounder Jackson Isakka joins the Swans from Frankston Peninsula, where he averaged 30 with the bat and took regular wickets from limited opportunities with the ball.
The pair come to the club in the wake of Michael Wallace’s retirement and the expected elevation of Ashley Chandrasinghe to a more permanent role in the Victorian top order, having solidified his status as one of Premier Cricket’s best batters last summer.
Casey South Melbourne’s season begins at Isakka’s former home ground of Jubilee Park in Frankston, when they face the Heat in a one-day game on Saturday, 5 October.
