Former New South Wales and Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been appointed the Blues' new head coach, and is confident that there is "generational talent" in the system that can produce international cricketers and bring domestic success. The move was confirmed less than 24 hours after NSW's season finished and which saw assistant coaches removed while the final game was ongoing.
Haddin, who played 66 Tests, 126 ODIs and 34 T20Is, replaces Greg Shipperd, who was axed in late January but opted to see out the domestic season with NSW winning the One-Day Cup last week.
However, they finished fifth in the Sheffield Shield after a final-round draw against Western Australia, who ended nine wickets down on Tuesday. It is success in that competition, which NSW have not won since the Covid-interrupted 2019-2020 season, which the state is most desperate for. There have also been concerns that the state is not developing the talent it once did with fewer players moving into the national set-up.
Haddin, who represented NSW for 12 years, is currently an assistant coach with Punjab Kings in the IPL, having previously held assistant roles with the Australia men's team and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He will take up the NSW job in June when the squad returns for pre-season training. It's understood that Haddin will assess his future at the IPL after this season, but he is expected to retain his media roles.
"I've had opportunities to coach in different leagues around the world, but this is where I want to be," Haddin told reporters. "This is where I think I can make the biggest influence. I think the one thing we've always done here at New South Wales is we hold high standards. We expect a lot from not only our staff and our organisation, but our players as well. And I'm going to be known for that. I'm going to expect a lot from this group.
"I think we're very close to opening a style of game that I think will suit New South Wales cricket. I think we might have gone away from that for some time... we always talk about the winning way here at New South Wales cricket and the way we play our cricket. But I think we can go a little bit deeper than that" Brad Haddin
"The reason that's going to happen is because I do think there's some generational talent there. I think we're very close to opening a style of game that I think will suit New South Wales cricket. I think we might have gone away from that for some time... we always talk about the winning way here at New South Wales cricket and the way we play our cricket. But I think we can go a little bit deeper than that. I think we don't want to be scared to lose, and there's a difference. That's what I see the upside in this group."
NSW have only had two players make their Test debuts in the last 10 years - Kurtis Patterson and Sam Konstas - which has become a source of frustration and concern. "I'm under no illusions that I've got to start to produce some Australian players," Haddin said. "There's going to be retirements over the next few years and we need the next guys stepping up to be NSW players. Is that at the moment? I'm not sure."
The final stages of Haddin's appointment took place while NSW were completing the last match of the season under Shipperd and included informing incumbent assistant coaches Ali de Winter and Shawn Bradstreet that they were losing their jobs, a move that did not go down well with former NSW and Australia spinner Steve O'Keefe, who had already been vocal about the treatment of Shipperd.
"They've had a meeting in the morning, grabbed two of the assistant Blues coaches, and said, 'Your services are no longer required'," O'Keefe said on SEN on Tuesday night. "Brad had an amazing playing career, and if he can turn that into a great coaching career, he's going to be a fantastic coach. There's some great young coaches involved but to get rid of the likes of Shawn Bradstreet [and] Ali de Winter, who are just great servants of Cricket NSW, and do it in that fashion is absolutely brutal and extremely disappointing."
Lee Germon, the NSW chief executive, admitted it had been a difficult period for the state but they were keen to confirm Haddin's appointment before he flew out to the IPL given he wouldn't be back from that tournament until late May.
"I think when you go through a decision like this there's never a perfect way to roll it out," Germon said. "It's been a difficult time in many ways for Greg and the coaching staff and others involved in it. I think to give Greg and the coaching staff credit, they've done a very good job seeing out the season with the Blues
"It's very difficult to find a perfect time to have these conversations. I can understand that perspective, absolutely [about the assistant coaches]. But we go into these discussions with honesty and respect."
"I would say there's great respect and admiration for the way that they've conducted themselves through the post-Christmas period. They've supported Greg and the team exceptionally well. Unfortunately, they will be leaving us and we'll support them through that process."
Germon did not comment on Shipperd's remarks to Fox Sports last week after the One-Day Cup win that a settlement package was still being worked out, and he hoped it wouldn't get "messy".
Haddin won't take up either the Sydney Sixers or Sydney Thunder BBL jobs which are also vacant. Shipperd was sacked from his Sixers job at the same time as losing the NSW role while Trevor Bayliss departed Thunder after they finished bottom this season.