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just surviving. We want bowlers
who are looking at getting batsmen
out.
“If you can execute a shot well
at training, why not play it in a
game. The idea for a four-day
game is still to score 300 runs
in a day’s play. I don’t care if
that’s at the Gabba on a green
seamer or on a turning wicket
in Sydney.
“I, and the coaching staff, have
to make sure we give the players
the skills to do that, to give
the guys the freedom to play
their shots.”
Barsby has always been direct
and up front, and has no problem
going ‘old school’ to
achieve those objectives.
“We will be getting them into
the nets and there will be a lot
of practice. It won’t just be
practising the skills, but competing
in the nets,” he said.
“If a batsman doesn’t like getting
bounced at training he better
get used to it because we’re
going to really try to create that
fierce competitive role in a
Trevor Barsby in the field.
training environment.” Barsby
played in a tough era where
Queensland’s inability to win a
Sheffield Shield made the Bulls
the subject of much scorn from
opponents and grew from a
monkey to a gorilla on his back
as each year passed.
He made a first-ball duck and
10 batting in the middle order
in his first Shield final against
NSW in 1986, and when the opportunity
came around in March
1995 after further team failures
in 1988 and 1993, he was going
to accept nothing less than victory.
Barsby blasted 151 in the Bulls’
first innings to set up the historic
first win, and confirmed his
reputation as a big game player
in the twilight of his career. He
was man of the match with 50
in a low scoring one day final at
the Gabba in 1996 to seal victory,
then stroked 67 and 111
in his last first class game, the
1997 WACA final win over WA.
He is determined to impart that
sense of history about how hard
the State’s cricketers had to
battle to achieve the ultimate
success, and then went just as
hard to ensure the Bulls dominated
interstate cricket for
more than a decade.
“I’d like to take them right back
to day one, when
we start our preparation,
to understand
who we stand
for, what we represent
on and off the
field, and to have a
lot of pride in our
performances.”
Barsby also intends
to involve the corporate
world. “I
want to make sure
that we have our
sponsors wanting to
be involved with the
Bulls logo,” he said.
But more than anything, he
wants to see Queensland back
on top of Australia cricket.
“I want to make sure we are
dominant. It’s been very good
over the last 10 years to rub
the Southern States’ noses in
how well we’ve been going,” he
said.
“The 69 years before we won
the Shield we copped a lot of
jokes - I want to get back to
where we were as quickly as
possible where we’re dominating
and it really annoys the opposition
States.”
Always on the move, Trevor Barsby dives for
safety during a one-day game at the Gabba.