Dubbo CYMS young gun Tom Coady has been labelled as a key figure for Western Zone at the Kookaburra Cup but coach Garth Dean has no doubt the talented batsmen can handle the pressure.
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Coady is one of four Dubbo-based players in the 13-man squad which will contest the NSW Country Cricket under 14s tournament at Armidale from January 8-11.
Having scored two representative-level centuries already this season, the latest on Sunday, and cemented himself as an RSL-Whitney Cup player with the Cougars, Coady will be vital to Western’s hopes of Cup success.
“I expect him to go well, he’s a well-credentialed cricketer,” Bathurst-based Dean said.
“I’m not putting any pressure on him but he doesn’t seem to be affected by pressure anywhere. You give him a role and he’ll respond to it.”
While Coady headlines to Western outfit, the side has a huge amount of depth in talent when it comes to both the bat and ball.
And, in a real positive, there’s plenty of options.
“I like the team. There’s a lot of variety with the bowling and the batting looks strong,” he said.
“Mac Webster from Lachlan is a good bowling all-rounder while George Cumming is a left-arm orthodox bowler and it’s rare to see one of those good enough to come through and make the side.
“He’s a smart cricketer as well so I think he’ll go well and there’s actually a lot of smart players in the side.
“I don’t think anyone will be scoring a lot of runs against us but if there was one weakness you had to pick, I normally like to go in with two dominant batsmen but at the moment there’s really only Tom (Coady).”
One player who could step up and take some pressure of Coady is fellow Dubbo player Koda Sissian, who also made a century in Sunday’s under 14s derby clash.
According to Dean, this is the first time in roughly a decade a Western Zone Kookaburra Cup side has not featured anyone in the under 13s bracket.
“They’re all top-age players. That’s not to say the under 13s aren’t good enough, it's just a very strong 14s group,” he said.
While impressed with the side he’s got, Dean wasn’t getting too carried away when discussing Western’s chances at Armidale.
The Zone side has been around the mark in recent times, finishing as runner-up four times in the past seven seasons, but due to player development around the age of 14 and how much sides can change in one season, the coach stated it always difficult to predict who is the team to beat.
“When you do all the coaching through winter and then watch all the preliminary games, it all leads up to this and I’m really looking forward to it,” Dean added.
Teams for the State Challenge, which will be contested at Dubbo from January 22, will be selected at the Kookaburra Cup.
WESTERN ZONE: Tom Coady, Koda Sissian, Hugh Ridley, Patrick Nelson (Macquarie Valley), Mikey McNamara, Harrison Bayliss, Sam Austin, Mac Webster (Lachlan), Cooper Brien, Declan Fawkner, Tom Lynch, George Cumming, Jacob Ryan (Mitchell).
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
