Tasmania’s leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer has been headhunted to take on a position within the state’s high performance program.
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Jamie Cox, 49, replaces Ben Rohrer as Cricket Tasmania’s talent manager and will share his time with his role as head of emerging football programs at St Kilda Football Club.
CT chief executive Nick Cummins said Cox – who played 161 first-class matches for the Tigers between 1987-2005 – would be able to manage the cross over.
“While he is working with Cricket Tasmania he will take over all the responsibilities around list management for our men and women’s Tigers and Hurricanes programs as well as working with our pathway to identify future Tasmanian cricketers,” Cummins said.
“It really represents the last piece in the puzzle of our re-structure around high performance.
“[We did target him and] the first we spoke to Jamie he said no… but we’ve always had the policy of getting the best person for the job, not the best person available.
“One of the things we’ve looked for in all roles is not to have a hired mind, people who all think the same way and all have the same experiences, so the fact that over the past 12 years Jamie has been building his experiences… means he brings a lot of diversity in thought as well as an understanding of the Tigers’ tradition.”
Victorian-based Cox, who was Tigers coach Adam Griffith’s first captain, said he wants to see more Tasmanians progress through the ranks into Australian colours.
“I owe a lot to Tasmanian cricket for the career opportunities that I have been fortunate to experience over the past decade,” Cox said.
“I remain deeply passionate about seeing Tasmanian cricket successful.
“I'm looking forward to reconnecting with some great people and helping wherever I can to develop male and female talent of international quality.
“I'm also grateful to the Saints for allowing me to free-up some time and combine this role with another passion of delivering the St Kilda AFLW 2020 project.”
The former national selector and sacked South Australian Cricket Association high performance general manager said is he keen to deliver results.
“The roles as it was presented was something I looked at and thought ‘no, I think there is something I can impact there, there is something I think my experience can assist with’,” Cox said.
“My time wasn’t ultimately that successful here, we tried hard and built a nice base potentially but part of my motivation to want to come back is one of helping and another of learning.
“One of understanding why the place has been so successful over that decade or more that I’ve been gone and from the outside looking in I’ve admired it.
“The fact we’ve got the current Australian captain is a wonderful feather for this organisation.”
The fact we’ve got the current Australian captain is a wonderful feather for this organisation [Cricket Tasmania].
- Jamie Cox
Cox is considered unlucky not to have earned Test selection after scoring 18,614 first-class runs at 42.69 for both Tasmania and English county side Somerset from 264 matches.
He said he has no immediate plans to return home to Tasmania full-time, with a son still of school age in Melbourne.