Coach Corbitt driving title tilt
WHEN Matt Corbitt took over as Surfers Paradise coach at the start of the season, he knew change was needed.
Having joined the club as a junior player in 2002, the former Brisbane Bandits and US college star had watched on as the standards of the Dodgers’ division 1 side slipped from the heights that carried them to the 2011-12 pennant.
When they finished well off the playoff pace last season, the 25-year-old stepped in — and the results were instant.
In game two of Sunday night’s preliminary final series, Surfers’ underdog rise continued when it completed a clean sweep of minor premier Carina with an 8-4 win at Holloway Field.
Now standing in the Dodgers’ way in the grand final series, beginning on Friday, is a Windsor Royals juggernaut aiming for a record-breaking sixth-straight championship.
For Corbitt, the path to success was paved off the field.
“I came in this season and pretty much rebuilt what the club is about and rebuilt the culture,” Corbitt, who finished playing in 2015-16, said.
“Culture, 100 per cent (has been the key). The guys love spending time with each other off the field and they do it a lot.
“It’s amazing what happens when you have that. The winning seems to take care of itself. I’m proud of the guys.”
The change in culture has coincided with a change in the playing roster, with Corbitt putting his faith in the club’s emerging brigade.
The youth policy has been aided by the presence of US imports Jerry Lacayo (catcher), Sam Brunner (pitcher) and Ozzy Braff (shortstop), and Corbitt is confident the side has what it takes to claim a sixth A grade championship.
“It’s been an advantage (as coach) because they’re young and willing to learn. Twothirds of our team is homegrown juniors.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, as you’d expect with a young team, but it’s all paying off at the right time of the year. We were gross underdogs from the beginning of the year.
“We’re confident we’re going to have a good series (against Windsor). We’ll just do what we’ve done all year.”
Games two and three of the series are on Sunday and Tuesday in Brisbane. ALL THE LATEST NEWS AHEAD OF THE GRAND FINAL SERIES: FRIDAY’S BULLETIN