Best to come, says Griffith
THE Tigers have made great strides this season but the job is far from completed, says coach Adam Griffith.
After consecutive wooden spoons the Tigers made it all the way to the final only to be dudded of any real chance by a substandard Allan Border Field, a flat pitch, Queensland’s weather and a determined Bulls outfit.
While Cricket Australia gave AB Field a tick of approval, Griffith did not share the same sentiment.
“I’m not sure I gave it a tick, to be honest,” Griffith said.
“In my humble opinion and I’m only a state coach [but] when you have got a first-class venue and it hasn’t rained the day before and hasn’t rained the day of the game and you don’t get on and there are no lights and an outfield that doesn’t drain well, then maybe it is not a first-class venue.”
Griffith was rightly proud of the squad’s turnaround across the season, but now the decision making starts on list management for next year.
He said Hurricanes hero D’Arcy Short was unlikely to transfer from Western Australia and that the 2018-19 squad would closely mirror this year’s group.
“We are really excited about some of the young talent coming through our pathway,” he said.
“I think you’ll see once we announce our list for next year there will be some young Tasmanians on that list and then we’ll have a look at who becomes available around the country.”
Veteran Alex Doolan struggled after Christmas but Griffith said he had another year to run on a contract.
He was also confident of getting all-rounder James Faulkner back to full fitness and form after another injury interrupted season.
“He’s coming off contract but we’ll sit down and look at where he sits,” the first-year coach said.
“James has been a great servant for Tasmanian cricket and he’s still in his 20s so we’ll assess where he’s at.”