Coaching the leadership group
One can always be better as a coach, especially when a club has several coaches for its various grades.
Looking for improvements to maintain high level performance is the challenge facing Yarrawonga Mulwala Cricket Club going into season 2021/22.
At cricket’s local headquarters last Friday, former Victorian and much decorated cricketer Rohan Larkin answered the call to give a coaching session to the Lakers’ leadership group of coaches and captains.
Coaching is a passion of Larkin’s who played for Central Park/St Brendan’s Cricket Club Shepparton, Carlton, captain-coached Footscray and Stanhope. As a leading batsman, he played 16 games for Victoria from 1995 to 1997.
“Australian Cricketers Association emailed me to go to Yarrawonga and here I am!” the former Goulburn Valley development officer told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
“I love teaching kids about cricket and I give coaching sessions to club’s coaches and captains.”
The ACA is the collective and representative voice of past and present male and female elite domestic and international cricketers in Australia.
Former Lakers’ coach Matt Knight rates Larkin as “easily the best cricketer I played with or against”.
“Rohan was hard working, determined and passionate, but an even better leader,” Knight said.
“As a club we can learn so much from him as a leader. The culture that he built at CPSB CC didn’t just bring success - it brought sustained success.
“His work with the senior cricket club was outstanding but it was backed by the club and instilled in the juniors.”
Larkin guided CBSt.BCC to 10 premierships in 13 years, clinching a state record of seven in a row.
Knight said Larkin’s role with Cricket Victoria as manager of Northern Rivers saw him spread his expertise amongst huge numbers of young cricketers.
“As a side note, his 243 not-out in a grand final was the most awe-inspiring performance I’ve ever witnessed. I was on the wrong side of it, but will never forget it,” Knight said.
The Lakers’ top group was keen to question Larkin and pick up learnings to apply to the respective teams. The senior grade captains were taking notes with a view to applying Larkin’s winning insights and experiences for this season’s journey.
A key was focused around structure, discipline and selflessness; the team sharing each others’ successes and failures, and looking to work hard with each other to improve.
Experienced Yarrawonga Mulwala Cricket Club head coach Michael Drake said the club was fortunate to have a player of Larkin’s calibre, who performed at a high level, to talk to the club’s leaders.
“Any experience of this nature provided to us can only be beneficial,” Drake said. “These are invaluable coaching sessions.”