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Brad
Zeller, Australian Women's Coach
Interview
with Brad Zeller, current Australian Women's Indoor
Cricket team
PART
1.
Indoor
Cricket World: Other than Indoor
Cricket, what sports do you play?
Brad
Zeller: I play indoor soccer and volleyball. I
also play outdoor cricket, but not seriously anymore.
ICW:
What are your favourite spectator sports?
BZ:
Australian Rules Football, Ice Hockey and
Boxing.
ICW: Do you
admire any particular coaches of other sports?
BZ:
There are two coaches who I think set a
nearly unattainable level, and they are Leigh Mathews
(Brisbane Lions - Australian Rules Football) and Wayne
Bennett (Broncos - Rugby League). Mathews' record
speaks for itself: one of the greatest players of all
time, he has turned his ability into coaching and
taken two clubs to Premierships in one of the fiercest
competitions going.
As for Bennett--no matter what group of players he
coaches, he always seems to get the best out of them.
Take the Broncos for example: no one ever writes them
off no matter how much the team may change week to
week, or year to year.
ICW:
You started playing indoor cricket when you
were seventeen years old. Had you played outdoor
cricket before then?
BZ:
I have an outdoor background as do most players,
especially the men. I started playing when I was 10
years old with a club called Wests. I moved onto the
senior ranks with a club called Railways and was
playing A grade when I was 14. I moved to Brisbane at
age 18 and played there for 5 years before giving it
away and concentrating on work and indoor cricket. I
played oneday cricket on Sundays for a few years from
time to time. I could not commit seriously to outdoor
which is why I stopped playing on Saturdays as I
believe if you can't give it 100% you end up letting
yourself and others down.
ICW:
You mention that most players have an
outdoor background. Do you think this is essential
to be a successful Indoor Cricket player?
BZ:
No, definitely not. You do not need an
outdoor background to be successful at indoor cricket.
The Queensland Womens team are a perfect example. When
I took on the coaching role in 1998 only 4 of them had
played outdoor cricket. Today it is even less. Yet
these women have gone on to win 3 out of the last 4
Nationals. This year again, the side changed
dramatically, leaving only two who play outdoor.
ICW:
Okay, what about those who do play both
indoor and outdoor cricket. Doesn't Indoor ruin the
skills of an outdoor player?
BZ:
As far as indoor spoiling your outdoor, well,
we hear it said all the time. But I think it's an
excuse used by players who cannot take the next step
in outdoor, or coaches who do not have the ability to
work with what they have. It's easier to blame
something so they blame Indoor Cricket. Lets face it,
if you are not going to play outdoor for your State,
why should playing indoor concern you anyway? If you
are good enough you will make it. It never seemed to
harm Steve or Mark Waugh too much. They both played
Indoor Cricket for New South Wales for a couple of
years without any detrimental effects (ICW: see
"Blast
from the Past" or "Famous Sons" for details of
the Waugh twins playing indoor cricket for NSW).
They are two players of many that have played indoor
with no evidence it has harmed them in any way (ICW:
Mark Waugh recently "blamed" Indoor
Cricket for his fine close-in fielding skills).
To
be continued -- the next part of the Brad Zeller
Interview coming soon (later in December 2001)
Brad Zeller Interview Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part
4
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