DAVE: Welcome to our Monday morning chat boys; we’ve just witnessed our cricket grand finals for 2024/25 and I don’t know about you boys, but I didn’t miss a ball in eight hours of cricket and was totally enthralled by it all. Congratulations to Cardinia, Officer, Buckley Ridges, Parkmore and Silverton on claiming their respective premierships this year. Justin, kick us off mate with your best action from a huge weekend in sport.
JUSTIN: Ash Smith, he ended winning the man of the match for his 94 not out for Officer, he’s an extremely patient batter, he’s shown that for most of the season, and he was six off 50 balls at one stage. But then he got a full toss from Pakky Upper skipper Brian Kulasena which he launched on and smashed down the ground for four. That shot got him going; he was scoring a run every 10 balls but ended up with 94 not out off 172 balls. It was a beautiful shot and it was great to see him switch quickly into ‘aggressive’ mode. He took nine runs off the last over and then needed a six off the last ball to get his hundred; but it went for a leg bye.
BLAIR: My best action comes from the Turf 2 grand final again. Last week it was Ammar Bajwa taking 6/44 for Parkmore and this week it goes to the fielding side again. HSD went down but Triyan De Silva did everything he could to get the Cobras across the line. He made 30 last week and then took two early wickets with his left-arm quicks on day two, but it was a special piece of fielding that he produced to get Parkmore 4/39 that gets my best action. Hewafonsekage Fonseka hits it to him at mid-on; took him on, he runs, dives, gathers easy and throws down the stumps with a direct hit. The umpires’ finger went up and it was a real big moment; at that point HSD’s 170 looked a really long way away. Credit to Parkmore for still getting it done.
DAVE: I was at Cardinia watching the Bulls take on Tooradin; a very low scoring match where Tooradin scored 108 and Cardinia got them with only two wickets left in the sheds. Matt Welsh was the star of the show, taking his second-consecutive five-wicket haul – the only two of his career – and he did it against two of his former clubs. But he doesn’t get my best action; which goes to Cardinia fielders Trishane De Silva and Jack Burchill. Dylan Sutton hit a leading edge off the bowling of Welsh, which flew high to De Silva at point. He dropped the catch, but Burchill showed quick thinking and reflexes to chase after the rebound and snaffle it with a brilliant one-handed dive. It was an incredible catch and probably the moment when you thought Tooradin was really gone. Sutton was their last chance of building a nice partnership with skipper Mick Sweeney; but the De Silva/Burchill juggling act put an end to that. The Bulls deserved their premiership; I think they made one mistake in the field.
FAVOURITE STORYLINE
DAVE: Boys, there are always great storylines in sport – it’s one of the things we love most about it. Blair, tell me your favourite storyline from the weekend.
BLAIR: It’s an obvious one, but Buckley Ridges, after two years of losing grand finals to Springvale South, achieved back-to-back premierships in a massive year for their club. When it looked like the odds were against them, 2/20 overnight, chasing 183, they stood up when it counted and capped off a great season; with wins in other grades as well. There were three cups in the circle and everyone was feeling pretty good.
DAVE: How did you find the DDCA finals series in general mate, you’ve only been on board at the Gazette for a couple of weeks so we threw you in the deep end a bit.
BLAIR: The last couple of weeks I’ve been doing a fair bit of research, and it was good to get down there and watch some cricket. I was really impressed by the standard and facilities, the Berwick Cricket Club hosted the Turf 1 grand final and did an exceptional job. There was a great turnout of people, so I loved the first experience of DDCA cricket. It’s just a shame the cricket season is over after just getting my head around it.
DAVE: It’s a beautiful ground Arch Brown Reserve.
BLAIR: I walked out there and you could see me on FrogBox at tea, having a look at the pitch and taking it all in.
DAVE: Justin, your favourite storyline from District?
JUSTIN: I have to go with Ash Smith again. He’s a former captain and things like that, but I had a chat to him after the game and he was beside himself with how much it meant to him and the club. He told me he didn’t think he had made more than eight runs in a final before; last year he made two in the semi and four in the grand final. The story surrounding Ash Smith is the run that he had leading into and during finals. He got 113 not out, then 23, then 54 in the semi and 94 in the grand final. He’s ended the season perfectly and timed his run to perfection. For him to redeem himself and the team to redeem is the stuff that fairytales are made of.
DAVE: The number-one storyline for me is the coach of Cardinia Mark Cooper. He coached his first premiership at Cranbourne at the age of 21 and on Sunday coached his ninth premiership on the weekend. Coops has captain-coached eight different clubs across his journey, but this is the first time he has gone back to a club and coached it for a second time. He had already captain-coached the Bulls to two premierships, but to do it a third time, after so long away, it was just really special to witness it. He met his wife at Cardinia, it’s where some of his best mates are; and he came back with a view of joining the old Cardinia back with the new. That’s my favourite storyline, but John Nooy, a player Cooper lured back to the club this year, he joins Dwayne Doig as the only four-time 1st XI player in the history of the Cardinia Cricket Club. That’s a pretty big achievement whichever way you look at it.
OSCAR PIASTRI
DAVE: Boys I’ve become a little bit more interested in Formula 1 in recent times and I think it’s mainly due to the emergence of Oscar Piastri. From what I’m hearing in the commentary, Australia has a genuine contender for a World Championship. It got me thinking; is he carrying the flag for Australian sport at the moment; is he our most prominent sports person in the world?
JUSTIN: I think he is Dave, but I think there is a genuine argument right now for Josh Giddey, who is absolutely on fire for the Chicago Bulls. Just before the All-Star break, the Chicago Bulls made a couple of trade moves and they pretty much brought Giddey into the spotlight. Since then, in his last 11 games, he is averaging 22 (points), 10 (rebounds) and nine (assists). You don’t know too much about basketball Dave, but that’s insane; only three players have ever averaged a triple-double for a whole season. On Sunday he came very close to the fifth ever quadruple-double in NBA history. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists and eight steals…
DAVE: That sounds like a regular night on the court for you mate…
JUSTIN: I wish, and plus, I don’t pass the ball so don’t get any assists. He’s in a contract year and there are rumours he could be getting $30million a year when he signs on for next season. He’s playing himself into some money and he’s been absolutely on fire.
DAVE: Where would he rate? How far down the list would you have to go to find the name Josh Giddey on the list of best players in the NBA right now?
JUSTIN: He’s rising quickly, but I’d say he’s still in the 70 to 80 range. But that’s a great effort; it means he’s in the top-70 in that sport in the world. He was great at the Olympics last year and he’s only going to keep getting better.
BLAIR: I’m sticking with Oscar Piastri. I probably don’t watch as much Formula 1 as I should, but the things he is doing in the sport at his age is exceptional. To make it even better he’s a Tigers’ supporter; I’m pretty happy with that. It’s short and sweet from me; he’s Australia’s number-one right now.
DAVE: Golf, tennis, we don’t have anyone at the top like a Greg Norman or Lleyton Hewitt, basketball you’ve just summed up Justin, and soccer is probably the biggest sport in the world…just ahead of darts (boys laugh). We’ve got Ange Postecoglou who is coaching one of the biggest clubs in England at Tottenham; Sam Kerr, when she’s not injured and arguing with cops, she’s one of the best soccer players in the world; but F1 is such a prestigious sport on a global scale. There are only 20 drivers in the whole population of the world that get to drive those rockets on wheels and we’ve got one on the grid.
JUSTIN: Two actually Dave, Jack Doohan as well.
DAVE: Very true…but just imagine if Piastri can win the F1 World Championship, it would be up there as one of the most phenomenal achievements in Australian sport. I remember how good it felt to be Australian when Cadel Evans won the Tour De France; there are certain sports and events on the world stage that carry that extra credence.
WEEKEND OFF
DAVE: Boys, I actually got married around this time 32 years ago to the lovely Kellie, because April 3 was the only weekend between the cricket and footy seasons (boys laugh). That’s how much I love my sport. This weekend we get to lift the lid on the barbecue, crack a few tinnies, and recharge the batteries for a week before the winter sports get underway. Blair, what are you most looking forward to on April 5?
BLAIR: I’m covering the Southern Football Netball League, and not knowing a lot about local football leagues around this area, I’m really looking forward to round one, under lights, when Narre Warren and Cranbourne revive their local rivalry. It should be a great occasion and I can’t wait to get along and get a sense of both clubs and the vibe of both teams. It should be a great way to kick off my Gazette football journey.
DAVE: That’s what I’m looking forward to as well. I covered the leagues that both clubs were in at the height of their rivalry and you were always guaranteed a fiery affair. Hopefully time hasn’t healed all wounds and we get a typical Narre v Cranny clash at Kalora Park on Saturday 5 April. I’ve been invited as a guest of the club and can’t wait to kick off the season in grand style. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Pakenham perform in Outer East Division 1. It’s the lowest standard the Pakenham Football Club has played for many, many years, so hopefully they rise to a new challenge. If they start badly; it could be a really long year for the Lions.
JUSTIN: I’m looking forward to seeing how Officer responds to last year. I wasn’t here last year, but they controversially sacked their coach during the season and have appointed a playing-coach in Nathan Allen for 2025. They missed finals last year but had a weird run through to finals. From round nine to round 18, they won three, got beaten comfortably in two games, but the rest of those games they lost by less than three goals. They were close to playing finals and I’m intrigued in regards to how they’ll go this year. They’ve got a young list and the club is excited to back them in. And Dave, it’s not a weekend off for me, the Pakenham Warriors men’s and women’s teams kick off their seasons with a double header at Cardinia Life on Saturday night. They both play McKinnon and Steve Coffey makes his debut for Pakenham…I can’t wait to get there.
DAVE: I love your enthusiasm boys; let’s talk sport again next week!
