The two teams created the new positions in an effort to enhance their on-field performance: Melbourne Renegades has appointed former Australia fast bowler Clint McKay as their new high performance manager, and Brisbane Heat BBL title-winning coach Wade Seccombe as their new high performance manager.
After leading Heat to the BBL final the previous season, Seccombe guided them to their second BBL title earlier this year. However, following a Queensland Cricket investigation into the men’s Sheffield Shield team’s subpar play, Seccombe was fired as Heat and Queensland’s coach.
Prior to Seccombe’s departure from Queensland, Cricket Victoria had advertised for the two recently established high performance positions, which are matched to each of the BBL teams, after numerous years of underperformance. The two Melbourne BBL clubs’ general managers, Blair Crouch (Stars) and James Rosengarten (Renegades), used to be in charge of all aspects of high performance, including coaching, list management, and high performance structures. They also oversaw the clubs’ whole commercial operations.
Later this month, Seccombe will relocate from Brisbane to Melbourne in order to start working full-time for Renegades.
Previously involved in the Stars international draft and list strategy, McKay transfers to his new post from the backroom staff at Stars, where he was the bowling coach. Throughout the previous two years, McKay has also frequently been brought into Australia’s coaching staff as a stand-in white-ball bowling coach when incumbent Daniel Vettori has been given a break or promoted to stand-in head coach.
The two appointments will result in improved coordination between Victoria’s high performance programme, which is led by Graham Manou, and the two BBL clubs.
“It is really pleasing to be able to have two people of Clint and Wade’s calibre joining our cricket performance program at Cricket Victoria and working closely with both our Big Bash clubs,” Manou said.
“They will play a vital role in the talent management and identification process with a specific focus on T20 skills and potential. They will also be an active part of our existing elite and development programs, putting a renewed emphasis on T20 cricket within our programs.”
In the past, list management choices were decided by the BBL clubs apart from Victoria’s programme. After Nic Maddinson was removed off Renegades list and made the decision to leave Victoria’s state programme in favour of returning home to New South Wales, that is probably going to alter with the two appointments. Josh Brown’s hiring by Renegades and Victoria serves as an illustration of how the two programmes will probably collaborate in the future.
With just one year remaining on his contract, David Saker was fired from Renegades, and Seccombe’s first task will be to supervise the hiring of a new head coach. Without initiating an official procedure, former Australian footballers Shane Watson and Cameron White have both been openly associated with the position.