Mitch Marsh

The kiddie may be close to deciding to stick with cricket...

Story from the Worst

The talented Marsh, who is the son of former Test opener Geoff Marsh and brother of current one-day player Shaun Marsh, said he was leaning towards pursuing a career in cricket but said he would wait until the end of the summer before making a final decision.

One of the few good things about rubbish cricket is that kids like Mitch can now see a chance to make more money than most AFL footballers can only dream about...

I think there was another thread on him the other day.

Prodigy to debut for WA
06 February, 2009
Paul Barbieri, Sportal
Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh

Teenage prodigy Mitch Marsh is looking forward to becoming Australia's youngest-ever interstate cricketer ahead of his West Australian debut this weekend.

Marsh will be 17 and 111 days when he plays in the Warriors' Ford Ranger Cup clash against South Australia at Bunbury's Hands Oval, the son of Geoff and brother to Shaun becoming just the sixth 17-year-old to play interstate cricket.

He follows in the footsteps of stars like Ricky Ponting and David Boon, along with older brother Shaun, who's able to make the three hour drive from Perth to see him debut, having injured his hamstring during last Sunday's clash between Australia and New Zealand.

There's been big wraps on Mitch, however, for some time, with both cricket and AFL trying to tempt him to their respective sports, as Marsh also represented WA at last year's interstate football carnival.

But it seems Marsh is increasingly looking to a cricket future, although he admits it's only been this season that he felt he truly belonged at the elite level despite scoring runs at will in club cricket.

"I'm pretty proud to be playing my first game," Marsh said on Friday morning. "I've worked pretty hard, so it's a good feeling a good reward."

"I think in the past few years, especially in A-grade cricket, I haven't really felt like I was good enough."

"(But) this year I've just been more confident and backed my ability and that's been the best part about it."

"I feel very comfortable, I'm hitting the ball pretty well," he added, referring to a record 208 he scored for Fremantle last week. "So I just want to go out there and enjoy it and try to smack a few around, should be good."

Despite having a rookie contract with the WACA, Marsh said he hadn't made up his mind which sport to pursue. He said he wouldn't make any final decision until after the season, although he admitted stress fractures in his foot could make a football career unlikely.

He also said he wouldn't be burdened by the expectation of coming from a well-known cricket family.

"I've always had expectations but I don't really try to worry about that kind of stuff," he said. "I just try to do my own thing and work hard and if it comes it comes."

His WA coach Tom Moody feels the Bunbury match was the best time to bring Marsh into the state side, as the Warriors are out of the running for the Ford Ranger Cup and there is less pressure involved.

"Obviously we know the heritage, where he comes from, a strong cricketing family, but Mitch has created his own opportunity with good form," Moody said.

Moody said Marsh's promotion to the Warriors could only boost the promotion of the state's junior cricket programs, especially as it appeared likely Marsh would turn his back on AFL.

"As a state we're probably affected more than any other state with regards to competition of other sports," Moody said.

"A lot of our talented kids, want to be centre half-back at the Eagles or Dockers."

"We need to be mindful of that and keep an eye on that talent, so if they don't make it through the footy system, which a lot of them don't, that we're there to catch them."

Luke Pomersbach returns to the Warriors one-day line-up for his first match since December after enduring personal issues, while 27-year-old former-Victorian fast bowler Brad Knowles will make his WA debut just three days after arriving in Perth.

Knowles played for WA in a second XI clash with Queensland last week and dominated the bowling, although he admits to not knowing where Bunbury is on the map.

"(This is a bit) of an extra opportunity, another go at trying to play first class cricket," he said.

"I thought my opportunities were probably up in Victoria, (so it's a) great opportunity now and hopefully I can take it."

Invader Zim wrote:.........

One of the few good things about rubbish cricket is that kids like Mitch can now see a chance to make more money than most AFL footballers can only dream about...

Snigger.

embee wrote:
Teenage prodigy Mitch Marsh is looking forward to becoming Australia's youngest-ever interstate cricketer ahead of his West Australian debut this weekend.

Marsh will be 17 and 111 days when he plays in the Warriors' Ford Ranger Cup clash against South Australia at Bunbury's Hands Oval, the son of Geoff and brother to Shaun becoming just the sixth 17-year-old to play interstate cricket.

Surely there have been younger interstate cricketers?

Bob Simpson would be one.

bumped for Lindsay #2 ... batting has always been by far his strongest suit

lardbucket wrote:bumped for Lindsay #2 ... batting has always been by far his strongest suit

Cheers lard. Interesting to learn a bit more about how he got to this stage.

Also, to paraphrase a chorus from a song, 'Mitch Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, so good they named a thread after him twice'.

What do AFL guys typically earn then? I'm guessing it should be pretty good - they play to packed houses whenever I've seen it. But not as much as cricketers presumably.

Unless you play Tests, AFL would pay more.

Well, if Watto can get an IPL contract with his knackered body then I presume Mitch can too (or maybe he already has - I don't really follow it). Presumably there's plenty of gold over there to supplement his income and it's got to be a lot easier on the body than AFL.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

lardbucket wrote:bumped for Lindsay #2 ... batting has always been by far his strongest suit

Cheers lard. Interesting to learn a bit more about how he got to this stage.

Also, to paraphrase a chorus from a song, 'Mitch Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, so good they named a thread after him twice'.

What do AFL guys typically earn then? I'm guessing it should be pretty good - they play to packed houses whenever I've seen it. But not as much as cricketers presumably.

$10 Million annual salary cap spread among 40 players (cant remember if the 5 "rookies" are in this figure)

Best players in the league get about $1 million a year apparently*

Mitch Marsh would have been on $300 000 to $500 000 if he played AFL and he was any good

He probably earns that in an IPL season

Well, batting always WAS his strongest suit. Maybe no longer.

He's the next Andy Bichel.

Henry wrote:He's the next Andy Bichel.

No, no, no - he's the new Simon O'Donnell. Isn't that right lard?

I still think he will evolve into - predominantly - a batsman (if he's good enough) who bowls a few impact overs; bowling as much as Steve Waugh. He's just got to bat better at this level than he has so far.

lardbucket wrote:I still think he will evolve into - predominantly - a batsman (if he's good enough) who bowls a few impact overs; bowling as much as Steve Waugh. He's just got to bat better at this level than he has so far.

I've got no real statistical evidence to back this thought up but is he perhaps just too big a unit to be a really consistent batsman (already thinking of examples such as Hayden, Gayle to undermine my point but I'll persevere with this line of thinking m'lud).

Is he more in the mould of Flintoff/Stokes - occasional big knocks, some rapid 30s/40s and a lot of dreadful low scores littered about. All the while the bowling becoming steadily stronger - until eventually his body can't take the pounding any more and he has to quit just as you thought he was reaching his zenith.

Based on his junior career and his early Shield career, which was all about batting and batting at 4,5,6; the bowling success he has had thus far has come as a complete surprise. So has the pace, hitting 140 kph.

I have been very disappointed by his batting thus far, and surprised his bowling has been as good as it has so far.

Sadly, the player he reminds me of most, as regards his career trajectory so far, is Watson, or maybe (worse still) Shane Lee. You feel an injury is just around the corner.

lardbucket wrote:Based on his junior career and his early Shield career, which was all about batting and batting at 4,5,6; the bowling success he has had thus far has come as a complete surprise. So has the pace, hitting 140 kph.

I have been very disappointed by his batting thus far, and surprised his bowling has been as good as it has so far.

Sadly, the player he reminds me of most, as regards his career trajectory so far, is Watson, or maybe (worse still) Shane Lee. You feel an injury is just around the corner.

Shame if his body turns out to be from the Watto mould - but from what I've seen he at least has heart, as well as a total lack of head shaking sulkiness.

Like his brother, he has already had a lot of soft tissue injuries.

No perpetually aggrieved sulkiness observed; agreed.

Injured again.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mitchell-marsh-to-undergo-ankle-surgery-ruled-out-of-county-stint-surrey-england/2018-04-04

So he alternates between injured and being largely underwhelming.

Such a shame.

Like Twatto before him, I thought he might have turned the corner. But alas no, perpetually potential only.

That's just cruel bringing this shite out of the closet.