Winning skipper Sam Crea after Bacchus Marsh's grand final win over Wendouree
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00On, I think it was Thursday, and we were talking in cliches.
00:04You said you wouldn't talk in cliches now.
00:05What does it mean to actually be, you know, holding this trophy with the medals, Anthony?
00:10Well, I think what I said was, it wasn't just about the first 11 today.
00:14It was about our community.
00:17We've got so many supporters and so many people that believe in us.
00:21I think today was just a true indication of what the back-of-smiles community can do
00:25and what cricket means to the club.
00:27I'm so happy for our guys.
00:30I mean, we worked super hard, and everything wasn't handed onto a plate to us.
00:33We played every game away this year.
00:35We went through the ups and downs, but probably to play our best cricket in a grand final,
00:40you couldn't ask for any more.
00:41Well, that was chanceless.
00:43I mean, you gave them two chances.
00:45They took two chances, and that was it.
00:47I mean, you don't see that very often.
00:49And those sort of chases, too.
00:50When you chase 150, they can be a bit nervous.
00:52Well, coming to the ground, we thought, you know, 150 in a grand final chasing,
00:56that's a 200 sort of thing, and you get pressure like that.
00:59But we knew we had the depth.
01:01We knew we had the list.
01:02It was just a matter of fact that we put it together.
01:04And in a grand final, we put it together, and that's all you need to do.
01:07So, you know, we're really proud of everyone's efforts.
01:09And, you know, it wasn't just the 11.
01:11We had probably 14 or 15 guys we could have chosen from.
01:13So, I mean, that was a big, big point of it.
01:15I want to take you back to round one.
01:17I spoke to you after you knocked off going wide flat out.
01:20You said to the boys, you know, you just want resilience.
01:22You just want to give an effort every week.
01:24You can't ask for more than what they have done this season.
01:27Every week, they have done exactly that.
01:29Yeah, and I think that's the way I coach.
01:32I've been pretty honest with all the boys.
01:34I said, as long as we give 100 percent and, you know, we're ready to the end, I'll cop that.
01:39If we win, lose, or draw.
01:40And I think everyone embraced that.
01:42I think that was the biggest thing.
01:44Having a new coach, a new game plan.
01:46We like to attack more and be a bit more sort of proactive in the way we play.
01:50Sometimes it takes time, but the boys just understood what I wanted and they come through.
01:55So, yeah, I'm really hoping they win.
01:57I'm so happy.
01:58Personally for you, how does this rate?
02:00I mean, you've played for probably a decade or so now.
02:02How does this rate as cricketing moments?
02:04To me, they're all special, honestly.
02:06This is now my third second grand final coaching.
02:09I've played in probably seven or eight now, to be fair.
02:11How many have you won?
02:12I think eight now.
02:13Okay, okay.
02:14Yeah, I think I've won eight.
02:15You know what it takes then?
02:16Yeah, I do know what it takes.
02:17And like I said, when I first come to the club, I know what success looks like.
02:20And I was always happy with what we had.
02:22I knew we could get success really quickly.
02:24So, I was just...
02:26We've just been patient.
02:28We probably didn't think it was going to happen so early.
02:30But to happen when it did, yeah, I'm really happy.
02:32Well, it's...
02:33Also, you played the 2020 grand final as well.
02:35Yeah, I think we forget about that.
02:37And you're in the club's 50th year, I understand as well.
02:40I mean, it's a milestone year.
02:42Yeah.
02:43I mean, it's everything that you could possibly have dreamed for.
02:45Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, we just missed out on the 2020 grand final.
02:48To win this, I mean...
02:50Plus, I have to say, we've probably been the best four-round side in the competition.
02:54I know we finished fourth.
02:56And we probably just scraped in.
02:57But, you know...
02:58You did the work early.
02:59Yeah, we did enough.
03:00And that was the best thing.
03:01We were able to sort of have some up-and-down games.
03:05But we were just able to sort of stick at it.
03:07And obviously, win our last game against Dalhousie, which got us there.
03:10Personally, nine wickets across innings.
03:12Six for 66 yesterday.
03:14Alex Porter back-to-back half-centuries.
03:16It shows what, you know, everyone has to chip in, though.
03:20Even Lola just today, you know, was as calm as anything.
03:23I think in a final, you've got to go to your leaders.
03:27And that's just how you win grand finals.
03:30It's not about development in the final series.
03:32You really need your leaders to step up.
03:34And Alex getting back-to-back 50s, you know, a really crucial 30.
03:38And what power.
03:39I mean, you could have blunted the first 20 overs and been numb for 40.
03:42But instead, he gets a 50, you're one for 90 sort of thing.
03:46And, you know, you're well on time.
03:47It was the reason why I brought him to the club.
03:49I know he's dynamic.
03:50A lot of clubs don't have a player like that.
03:52So, you know, I really went hard at our recruits to make sure they fit the role that we want to play.
03:58And his 50 or 70 balls had set us up.
04:00And the game was pretty much won from there.
04:02And I loved it how he just played his natural game in the grand final.
04:05It was tough to do, but we just wasn't afraid of it.
04:07And it was probably his calmer chase.
04:10Because every ball, you weren't exactly calm.
04:12But really, when you look at it, two for 150, that's as good a chase as you're ever going to make.
04:16I think, yeah, there's not many better grand final wins that I've been a part of.
04:19That was an all-round performance.
04:21And just, yeah, really clinical, I guess.
04:24Awesome, mate. Well, you've done a brilliant job.
04:26Thanks.