Sam Crea after Bacchus Marsh's grand final win over Wendouree

The Courier

Winning skipper Sam Crea after Bacchus Marsh's grand final win over Wendouree

Transcript

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.

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