Sunbury Cricket Club’s new coach Dylan Wright says there is a clean slate at the club heading into summer, and the Roar is looking to go one better than recent runner-up seasons.
Sunbury, which has played in four of the past five grand finals but missed out on the silverware each time, will hit the new season with some big on-field changes, and Wright said it was an exciting time to be taking the reins after playing last season in Wodonga.
“I’m a Sunbury boy, played most of my cricket at Sunbury United, but these are the premier facilities in the comp so it felt like a good fit after moving back into the area,” Wright said.
“Coaching felt like a natural progression, being 29-years-old and having played cricket for a long time, and when the job came up and I spoke to a few people I got really excited about the possibilities.”
Wright played for Sunbury United for 10 seasons, beating Sunbury in the McIntyre Cup final in his final game there, and has also spent time at Premier Cricket club North Melbourne (now Greenvale), and Wodonga, where he won another premiership.
Wright will have to cover the loss of gun all-rounder Jason McGann this season, but he said it could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the side.
“Clubs always evolve and we will find a way of covering Jason,” Wright said.
“In a way I think the club has maybe relied on too few, which can bring you unstuck in big finals. If we can get six people contributing more often than not, rather than one or two huge standouts, I think that will help us in the long run.
“They’ve played in four grand finals in recent years so the foundations are there and you don’t need to change much.
“I’m big on promoting the juniors too so we will look to do that.”
The club has already added bowler Jason McGowan and all-rounder Steven Maitland to their squad, with more to be announced in the coming months.
The club will kick off its pre-season on August 6.
