Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
Fans watching the Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL|06 opener against the Melbourne Stars on Sunday may detect a familiar face when the cameras cut to the coaching staff.
Fans watching the Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL|06 opener against the Melbourne Stars on Sunday may detect a familiar face when the cameras cut to the coaching staff.
The man sitting beside coach Lachlan Stevens will be Simon Helmot, the club’s newly minted WBBL and BBL assistant coach who was at the helm of the ‘Gades inaugural men’s team from 2011 until 2015.
Well known in cricket for his coaching work across the globe, Helmot will be assisting both Stevens and men’s head coach Michael Klinger across the WBBL and BBL seasons.
“It’s the first time I’ve worked in a women’s cricket program,” Helmot said.
“I did a little bit right back in the Bushrangers days, but it’s my first time with a WBBL team, so I’m very much looking forward to my involvement and working in this competition, where I’m very much here to support Lachie and the team and hopefully have some success.”
Those Victorian days Helmot refers to harks back to the late 2000s, when his elite coaching journey led him to a coaching role with the Victorian men’s team, a time that included the domestic one-day title in 2010/2011.
During that period, he worked with current Renegades leader Molly Strano, amongst others, during the infancy of her career at the highest levels.
Following his time in charge of the Renegades’ BBL team, Helmot’s career has taken him far and wide, serving as the head coach of Bangladesh’s High Performance Program and an assistant coaching role at Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
More recently, he was preparing to coach St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Premier League, only for a positive COVID-19 test to prevent him from leaving Australia and taking the reins.
“Unfortunately a few hours before my flight I was told I was COVID-positive and couldn’t make the flight, so it was a real setback. I was very much keen to get back into professional coaching after a bit of a break due to the COVID-19 shut down and was ready and raring to go,” he explained.
“That was a setback. I was going to be on plane but missed the flight – I never had a symptom or any illness, so I suspect I had a false positive. That’s the way it went, but I was certainly raring to go and get up here.
“As a result, isolation and quarantine with the Renegades in our Sydney hub was quite easy. Now I’m very much looking to get out there and enjoy success with the team.”
Helmot hasn’t wasted any time getting to know the players and staff, using the extended time in the hub to form relationships and observe the Renegades of WBBL|06 up close.
“What I’ve noticed straight away is what a cohesive and terrific group we have,” he said.
“I’ve really enjoyed the interaction from a training point of view. It’s been a lot of fun with a lot of smiling, but lot of hard work as well. It’s a good combination.
“I have also really enjoyed the leadership style of our captain Amy Satterthwaite. She’s a real calming influence, very knowledgeable and experienced, and I’ve already enjoyed working with her.
“We have some real youngsters in our group who are finding their way and developing their game, and what I find really enjoyable with the group is there is plenty of people who want to develop, grow and get better.”
The nature of the WBBL|06 tournament, with all teams playing out of the Sydney-based hub, means players are experiencing something similar to what international players are accustomed to when playing overseas.
This, Helmot says, has been particularly beneficial for the younger Renegades.
“It’s very similar to being in an overseas situation where we’re all in the same place,” he continued.
“There’s great interaction – most of the girls know each other and there have been some great learnings for some of the younger girls, learning about the game through conversations with peers. From a coaching perspective, that’s just great.
“With Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Molly Strano and many others, we have a good group of experienced players who are so willing to assist their teammates, and that’s something I’ve found to be a real positive with the group.
“This difficult COVID-19 situation has certainly brought the cricket community closer. Anyone who has anything to do with the women’s game in Australia is here right now in the Sydney hub, which can only be positive.”
Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades will open their WBBL|06 campaign against the Melbourne Stars on Sunday at Sydney’s Hurstville Oval at 2.30pm (AEDT).
