Yesterday in part one, I previewed the prospects of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia in the upcoming Sheffield Shield season. Here are the previews for the final three states.
TASMANIA TIGERS (second last year)
IN: Aiden Blizzard (SA); Ben Dunk (Queensland); Andrew Fekete (VIC); Timm van der Gugten (NSW)
OUT: Tom Triffit (WA)
Tasmania were desperately unlucky not to host last season’s Sheffield Shield final after finishing equal with Queensland and Victoria and having a better points differential than both of them – only Queensland’s six outright wins as opposed to Tasmania’s five meant the final was played at the Gabba.
Once there, they gave the Bulls one hell of a fight, only losing by three wickets as Chris Hartley gave the batting performance of his career.
There’s nothing to suggest Tasmania won’t challenge again this season either. The bowling attack of last year’s leading wicket-taker Jackson Bird, along with James Faulkner and Luke Butterworth with Jason Krejza and Xavier Doherty as the spinners, looks as strong and well-balanced as any.
The battling line-up is strong also: Ed Cowan, Mark Cosgrove, Ricky Ponting, and Tim Paine are all international level batsmen.
Indeed, it seems the only thing that can stop Tasmania playing another final is international call-ups. Don’t expect to see Ben Hilfenhaus too many times, Ponting and Cowan during the Tests, or Doherty during the ODI series.
Add to that potential Australia A or full team honours for Bird, Faulkner and Butterworth and you can see Tasmania possibly being a victim of their own success.
Prediction: finalists
VICTORIA BUSHRANGERS (third)
IN: none
OUT: Ashton Agar (WA); Mark Cleary (retired); Andrew Fekete (TAS); Brad Hodge (retired)
For so long the dominant domestic team, Victoria just missed out on making last year’s Shield final on quotient and number of outright wins. Despite players like Dirk Nannes and Brad Hodge leaving the domestic circuit for the bright lights of various Twenty20 leagues, they’ve still got plenty to throw at the opposition.
At full strength Victoria are brimming with talent: Chris Rogers, Rob Quiney and David Hussey at the top of the order, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Jade Herrick as the quicks, Andrew McDonald, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron White as the all-rounders and Matthew Wade behind the stumps.
Mind you, it’s unlikely Victorian fans will see this line-up at any time during the season. Expect to see Siddle and Pattinson in the Test team when fit, Maxwell in the one-day team and Wade in the 50 and 20-over teams at the very least.
The last time the Australian wicket-keeping spot was chopped and changed was back in the 1980s – keep an eye out to see if Wade retains his place from the West Indies tour or whether Brad Haddin comes back after leaving the tour to attend to his seriously ill child.
Prediction: third or fourth
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WARRIORS (fourth)
IN: Ashton Agar (VIC); Tom Triffit (TAS)
OUT: Mark Cameron (retired); Brad Knowles (retired); Luke Pomersbach (Queensland); Luke Ronchi (Wellington)
One of four teams challenging for Shield honours last season, Western Australia were just two points away from the top three teams. This year they’ll be hoping to take that extra step and try and win a competition for the first time since 2003/04.
The challenge for West Australian coach Lachlan Stevens is to take a ridiculously talented group of players and mould them into a domestic powerhouse. Players like Shaun and Mitchell Marsh and Johnson all have the ability – or at least had the ability – to be world beaters.
But footwork problems, disciplinary problems and mental problems have meant the three are considered to have under-achieved.
That’s not to say it’s all lost for the Sandgropers. Nathan Rimmington, Michael Hogan, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Michael Beer alongside the two Mitchells make for a bowling attack as good as any; while Liam Davis will want to build on his 921-run season and push for any vacancies in the Australian batting line-up.
Tom Triffit also looks to be a good buy to replace Luke Ronchi, who has headed back to his country of birth to try and make the New Zealand team.
Prediction: fourth or fifth
lolly
Guest
They aren't better bats than Mitch. Not even at first class level.
Disco
Roar Guru
And throw in a player who some regard as a Test allrounder with "potential". A bit like S Marsh, Johnson fails in most innings in both forms of the game; Couter-Nile and Rimmington are better bats than Mitch.
Lolly
Guest
Yes, that's a big problem. The first grade comp is overcrowded with clubs, that hardly helps.
Lolly
Guest
I wish people would stop saying that a 20 year old has 'underachieved' so far. That just sounds nuts. It isn't Mitch Marsh's fault that he has been hyped to the skies since he was 15. He's done ok if you look at his stats. It's really only in first class batting that he hasn't put up respectable figures. Some of the younger bowlers in the Warriors squad are good to excellent and they have a workhorse in Hogan. The batsmen I just can't bring myself to expect much from any of them. The experienced ones are flakes, genuine flakes. What else can you call North, Voges and Shaun Marsh?
Disco
Roar Guru
Punter keeping up his Shield final form.
Disco
Roar Guru
But Krejza got the key wicket of, um, Bollinger.
Chris
Guest
Ponting (9) and Cowan (17) both fail. Surely Cowan can't keep playing for Australia.
Tanami Mehmet
Guest
WA are dead step no chance. Pains me to say it, but apart from big bash they will be rubbish. We have some talent but there is very little support from people pushing thier way up from grade cricket here in WA.
mp
Guest
haha good one
Chris
Guest
Heriques could be a test bolter if this keeps up. 4/46 with the ball in the first match and has a 50 and a 150 from the first two games.
Chris
Guest
Speaking of Krezja - he is currently 0/78 and is the major reason both Henriques and Copeland have new First-class top scores.
Disco
Roar Guru
Well, I was trying to be,diplomatic.
TheGenuineTailender
Roar Guru
Krejza and Doherty are rubbish full-stop.
Disco
Roar Guru
Neither Doherty nor Krejza are much of a threat at Shield level. That said, it's not as if the other states are exactly brimming with spin bowling talent.