The long-term picture is still very much a focus for George Bailey despite the short-term riches on offer for Tasmanian cricket.
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Ahead of his fifth appearance in a Sheffield Shield Final, the 35-year-old revealed that while getting his hands once again on Australian domestic cricket’s most prestigious trophy was the obvious aim of their upcoming trip to Queensland, maintaining the high standard that has seen them reach the decider in future summers was also on his mind.
“While I am not trying to detract away from trying to win as every player plays to win premierships, the bigger picture is the development of the team and the developments of the individuals within the team and the program itself,’’ he told Fairfax Media on Monday.
“You just get that continuity then of players developing and players performing and then hopefully players that go on to play for Australia.
“The way to do that is be consistent and be really competitive, and I still hold Victoria very high in that regard as they have been able to be consistently and a real challenge to beat for the past five or six years, and as a program that is certainly the ongoing goal.”
Bailey knows what this week is like, having been part of all three previous titles, as well as the 2011-12 loss.
He was happy to admit there was something a little bit different about this one.
“This year has been quite special as the last couple of years has been a battle and we’ve seen quite a few players step up and become key players in the team,’’ Bailey said.
“That is really satisfying and I am really proud of some of those guys like the (Jordan) Silks, (Jake) Dorans, (Beau) Websters, the Gabe Bells, Tom Rogers and Sam Rainbird, in many respects they have become the core of the team.
“For them to know that the work they have been putting in has paid off has been great, and there is no reason why that group can’t play together for 10 years.”
This summer has also brought a sense of personal pride, happy to admit he doubted he would ever play in another decider, but will now be part in his second in six weeks after leading the Hobart Hurricanes to the BBL07 final.
“Winning certainly is more fun than losing, there is no doubt about that, but the bigger picture has been about seeing the younger guys step up and perform, as I get more enjoyment out of a Jordan Silk century than a George Bailey one these days,’’’ he said.
“Just the way that (coach) Adam Griffith and (assistant) Jeff Vaughan have set up training and set up the way we go about the game, I think that really challenged me personally to be a better cricketer and a better leader which has been refreshing and I have enjoyed that challenge as well.”
If successful against the Bulls, Bailey said it would be hard to pinpoint whether this one would mean more than the other three in his collection considering the depths of despair the state was in recently.
“I think that would be like asking someone to pick their favourite children,’’ he said.
“All the premierships are special, because of the work that has gone into them and the relationships, so it is more about the people than the results themselves.”
The Sheffield Shield Final will be played at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field from Friday.