From first to last: Western Australia's Shield dynasty hits a crossroad
WA’s tilt at a historic Shield four-peat ended suddenly with the squad now facing a transition phase
Tristan Lavalette20-Mar-2025For the smattering of rusted on fans in the terraces, it was an unfamiliar end to the Sheffield Shield season at the WACA.Three years ago, euphoria erupted around the iconic ground when Western Australia ended a 23-year title drought and then 12 months later it was similar jubilation when Cameron Bancroft hit the winning runs to once again thwart Victoria in the final.The loudest roars actually might have been heard last year when Joel Paris took a blinder of a one-handed catch in the gully to secure WA’s hat-trick of titles after a comprehensive victory against Tasmania.Related
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But this time around, as their hopes of a historic four-peat faded away in front of just a sprinkling of fans, the reverberation around the WACA came from the triumphant Victorians mobbing retiring Peter Siddle after he snuffed out WA’s unlikely chase of 382 runs off 84 overs.Underlining how incredibly tight the competition was beneath league leaders South Australia, the 34-run defeat meant WA not only missed the final but they had the ignominy of finishing the season in last place in what will make a strange sight in the record books for years to come.There was a hollow vibe among players and officials, a frustrating case of what could have been in a season that never came together for a WA team hampered by inconsistency, injuries and international unavailability.”It’s just been a bit of a frustrating year for the group,” WA captain Sam Whiteman said. “No doubt we will reflect over the next few months and get back to work in June.”WA started the season hoping to become the first state to win four in a row since the competition expanded to six teams in 1977-78. It loomed as a very difficult task, almost impossible as gleaned from Shield history and other sporting leagues, and there had been signs of slippage last season before they regrouped late.WA did start well with back-to-back wins over Tasmania after a drawn home opener against Queensland to sit on top after three rounds. But they fell away badly after that with only a vintage performance against Queensland at the Gabba keeping their season alive.WA had entered the final round in fourth position, but other results remarkably went their way and they had the chance to leapfrog second-placed Queensland.
“Losing a few games out here has been a bit disappointing because it’s been such a fortress the last three years. No doubt we’ll get back to the drawing board and look to keep getting better. I’m sure it’s not the end of the successful period for WA.”WA captain Sam Whiteman
Reflective of their season, WA’s inconsistent batting just couldn’t put it together against Victoria when they needed to the most with Hilton Cartwright and Cooper Connolly scoring half-centuries but it wasn’t enough.No.4 Cartwright was WA’s only consistent batter through the season, finishing second overall in runs with 861 at 57.40. Out of the other batters who played more than three matches, No.3 Jayden Goodwin had the next best average at 32.50.With Connolly limited to just three matches, where he scored four half-centuries from five innings, due to international call-ups, WA’s batting was fragile and exacerbated by injuries and struggles from openers Whiteman and Bancroft, normally such a prolific pair at the top of the order.It feels like a million years ago now, well before the Sam Konstas phenomenon, but Bancroft started the season in the frame to open for Australia in the first Test against India after being the best batter across the previous couple of Shield seasons.However, Bancroft fell on the first ball he faced this Shield season to trigger a wretched run that left his Test aspirations in tatters. He finally found form with a century against South Australia in round five, but a nasty collision in the field during a BBL match at Optus Stadium sidelined him for two months.Bancroft returned for the last two Shield matches and did make a determined 86 in the second innings against NSW. But he never quite regained his heft of old, where he looks immovable at the crease, and nicked off on 35 in the run chase against Victoria in a dismissal reminiscent of his early season rut. He made 344 runs at 26.46 compared to an average of 48.37 across WA’s title-winning seasons.Whiteman started with a century against Queensland, but his season was derailed by numerous injuries and he finished with a pair against Victoria. He made 285 runs at 25.9 compared to 41 across the three-peat.As their season hung in the balance against Victoria, WA had considerable batting firepower on the sidelines with Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie and Mitchell Marsh sighted at various stages having a hit in the WACA nets as they prepared for the IPL.Inglis only played three matches this season, while Marsh and Hardie combined for three games. Cameron Green was also an unmistakable figure at the nets as he makes his way back to the field after missing the entire season due to back surgery.Inglis, like Green, looms as a three-format player for Australia and will likely only play sparingly in the Shield in the future. Marsh, Hardie and Connolly also may miss significant time next season due to white-ball commitments for Australia.Veteran Ashton Turner’s Shield future could be under the microscope after averaging just 27.60 from 12 innings, with just one half-century. He was unable to consistently reproduce the type of counterattack in the middle-order that had revived his red-ball career in recent seasons.A fully-fledged transition is probably not required just yet, but the development of Goodwin, Sam Fanning and Teague Wyllie – heralded as the ‘rat pack’ by local media as coined by coach Adam Voges – will be key and the “nucleus of the WA batting for the future,” according to Whiteman.Jayden Goodwin showed glimpses this season•Getty ImagesThey had opportunities through the season with varied results. Left-handed Goodwin, 23, had the most success and his gritty batting has impressed the national hierarchy leading to Australia A, CA XI and Prime Minister’s XI selections this season.But he did tail off at the back end of the season and was fortunate to hang on to his position for the Victoria match ahead of 24-year-old Fanning, who hit two half-centuries from his previous three Shield innings. A cavalier left-handed batter who has floated around the batting order, Fanning though for now seems stuck in either two modes – aggression or defence. He hasn’t quite found the right tempo at Shield level.For a wider audience, Wyllie might be the best known of the trio having in October 2022 become the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to post a Sheffield Shield ton. His reasoning over his muted century celebration went viral.But it’s been tough going ever since for Wyllie, who has noticeably been anchored to the crease with minimal foot work. He played just two matches this season, scoring only 30 runs at 10.If he does not find himself consistently playing at the next level, Connolly, still only 21, looms as WA’s talisman having struck five half-centuries in his first seven Shield innings. “He’s probably going to be in-and-out of Australian squads for a fair chunk of time,” Whiteman said of Connolly. “But no doubt long-term he can be a No.4. Some of the impact that he’s had in four or five first-class games has been amazing.”WA’s bowling was their strength through the season although there are several unknowns moving forward. Quick Matt Kelly’s future could be in doubt due to a slew of injuries, while veteran Cameron Gannon justified his one-year extension with a solid season but may struggle to stay in the XI next season if Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson are fit and firing.Morris, currently a Cricket Australia contracted player, was limited to four matches due to restrictions over his workload coming off a stress fracture last winter in what has been a source of frustration for him.Brody Couch did prove a decent like-for-like replacement for Morris in his debut WA season after crossing over from Victoria, finishing with 23 wickets at 25.65.Brody Couch is mobbed by his team-mates after claiming a hat-trick•Getty ImagesThere will be intrigue over whether exciting quick Mahli Beardman, who turns 20 in August, will be ready to handle the rigours of red-ball cricket having shown flashes of his considerable talent in the BBL and One-Day Cup.Beardman, who believes he’ll eventually clock 150 kph, was a reserve player in Australia’s squad on their white-ball tour of the UK last year to underline his standing among the national hierarchy as a future prospect. During the Victoria match, Beardman at intervals showcased his athleticism with sprints on the ground as national selector Tony Dodemaide watched intently from close range.Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli bounced back from a sluggish first half of the season to finish as the Shield’s equal leading wicket-taker with 38 at 27.71. His mentor Ashton Agar, however, only played two matches although did bowl well in favourable conditions on east coast surfaces. The left-arm spinner’s Test career appears all but over although he is believed to be still committed to playing Shield cricket for WA.Perhaps WA’s first priority for next season will be to re-establish their WACA fortress having only won the solitary home match. They suffered losses to South Australia – in the shortest outright result in Shield history in a match lasting less than five sessions – and Victoria. In their previous 15 home matches before this season, WA had won 11 games and lost just twice.”Losing a few games out here has been a bit disappointing because it’s been such a fortress the last three years,” Whiteman said. “No doubt we’ll get back to the drawing board and look to keep getting better.”I’m sure it’s not the end of the successful period for WA.”