UP AND ADAM
Ex-Tassie quick Griffith wins role to rebuild Tigers
ADAM Griffith is ready to lead the Tigers back from the cricketing wilderness, his previous boss believes.
Griffith, the former Tigers quick who has spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach at Western Australia, was yesterday appointed Tasmanian coach for the next three seasons.
Sources close to the process told the Mercury former Queensland quick Joe Dawes was the frontrunner, but it was Griffith who swooped in to be appointed by the board as Dan Marsh’s successor.
Griffith was at first reluctant to apply and had to be persuaded by CT to submit an application.
Western Australian Cricket Association general manager of high performance Ben Oliver said the Tigers had the right man.
“He’s ready . . . we are really pleased he’s been able to get this opportunity, particularly in his home state,” Oliver said.
“He’s really grown and matured as a coach but also as a person and a leader of young men in our program. He’s well positioned to take on a head coaching role.”
Griffith, 39, was a member of the Tigers’ historic maiden first-class crown in 2006-07.
He has a teaching background and has worked under former South Africa and Australia coach Mickey Arthur and former Test opener Justin Langer in his time at the Warriors.
Griffith will have the big task of leading the Tigers out of the abyss after two consecutive seasons of Sheffield Shield wooden spoons.
“It’s a privilege to have been given this opportunity,” Griffith said yesterday.
“I am now looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and I will be working hard to bring success to the Tasmanian Tigers as well as working towards more national representation,” Griffith said.
Oliver said Griffith was so much more than just a fast bowling coach.
“That’s certainly a passion of his and a strength of his but he’s got a broader skill set than that,” he said.
“He’s teacher-trained so he understands the concepts of teaching and learning and the development of young men.
“That holds him in good stead for this type of role.
“He’s very well organised, he’s able to balance out the increasing analytical component of elite sport with the human side.
“He’s got a pretty broad range of skills as well as a really strong speciality area around pace bowling.”
CT CEO Nick Cummins said Griffith impressed the panel with his clear vision and direction, his work under Langer and his assistance in returning the Warriors from the cellar to a strong team again in the past five years.
Griffith comes from the same era as Marsh, Damien Wright and Andrew Dykes — who have all been sacked in the past three months — and Cummins said this was discussed.
“It was raised, how would this look if we hire a Tasmanian from that era?” Cummins said.
“We chose the best person and it is incidental he’s from Tasmania, it really is, and it highlights the need for players when they are finishing their career from any state to go and get experience in another state.
“He’s coming back with an intimate knowledge of Tasmanian cricket and a broader horizon about cricket at the high performance level that can be coached and executed.”
Wright was axed on Wednesday as senior assistant coach but Cummins said the two were not related.