Eighth time lucky? Villani looking to end finals curse

The 2022 WNCL final will be broadcast live on cricket.com.au and Kayo from 10:30am AEDT Sunday

As one of Australia's most decorated domestic cricketers, there's one statistic that Tasmanian Tigers skipper Elyse Villani has tried to keep out of her mind.

Despite having played in seven Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) finals, she's yet to lift the trophy.

"I didn't know the exact number so thank you for pointing that out," she laughs when asked about the unflattering record.

"I think the main thing is that anyone can win a final on any given day, it doesn't matter if you're going in as the favourite or the underdog.

"Funny things happen in finals, that's for sure."

A stalwart of Victorian cricket, Villani was unsuccessful in the decider with her home state six times, as well as once with Western Australia in 2017-18.

Remarkably, WBBL finals haven’t treated the former Australia star any better; her efforts with the Perth Scorchers (twice) and more recently the Melbourne Stars have gone unrewarded, too.

Image Id: 515B488DEEEF4AD782FD7729FB258AE7 Image Caption: Villani lost six WNCL finals with Victoria // Getty

The unwanted history is what makes her so determined as Tasmania prepare for their maiden WNCL final on Sunday, buoyed by the confidence of a seven-match winning streak and the knowledge they will have a home-ground advantage. 

"It's obviously a very exciting time for Tassie in general, being in our first final and then also being able to host it as well," she says ahead of the decider against South Australia at Hobart's Blundstone Arena.

"It's very exciting for the whole community.

"It's really nice to be able to spend the lead up at home and have the comforts of home as well. So at the moment, it's a nice and relaxed feeling. But I'm sure there'll be a few nerves once we get out there on Sunday."

The Tigers have been in superb form throughout the 2021-22 campaign with their only blemish coming in an opening-round loss to the Queensland Fire all the way back in December.

Unsurprisingly, Villani has been key to their dominance by amassing 245 runs with a highest score of 78, while openers Rachel Priest and Emma Manix-Geeves have also been pivotal to the Tigers' run-scoring prowess.

"I feel like I've had an OK season but not a great season from an individual point of view," she says. "But the great thing is that everyone has sort of chipped in at different times.

"We've always known that Emma Manix-Geeves has a lot of talent, and she's got a really good opportunity and a really good run at the top of the order, so she's been impressive for us.

Image Id: 0EE6A9B2703B4A73B49159BFEE92A2E8 Image Caption: Villani is hoping to end her title drought in her new home state // Getty

"We still encourage her to play with freedom … and that's certainly something we want the group to do.

"Rachel Priest has done exceptionally well at the top of the order and we know that when she's striking the ball really well and playing with that control, it allows the batters on the sideline to take a bit of a deep breath and feel pretty relaxed.

"Hopefully Sunday can be a good one for me personally, and a great one for the team."

Villani made the difficult decision to leave Victoria at the end of last season, departing her home state having just lost the final to Queensland in a campaign that netted her the player of the season award.

But the 32-year-old says it was a decision she knew she had to make, content that Tassie could give her the best of both worlds, with family an important factor in her choice.

"It was a really tough decision but the end of the day, it was a personal decision for me with my partner being in Tasmania," she said.

"I really wanted to be able to do both things in the one place, and this is where it was going to be possible for me.

"It certainly was a personal decision. But at the same time, I wouldn't have come over if I felt like I couldn't achieve what I wanted to achieve individually from a cricket point of view as well.

"I've been very fortunate to be able to have both things in the one place and be extremely well supported."

Image Id: 4A83DE09F6AF41518D293AA07C697E0E Image Caption: Villani and Tasmania are riding a seven-game winning streak // Getty

Despite missing a trio of international fast bowlers in Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown and Tahlia McGrath as well as leggie Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tassie's opponents South Australia have made a habit of bowling teams out cheaply this season.

Wary of the likes of Ellie Falconer and Jemma Barsby, Villani said SA's disciplined bowling line-up would pose a significant challenge for a Tigers side that has frequently posted big totals.

"They've got a very good bowling and assistant coach in Jude Coleman, so we know that their bowling unit is going to be really disciplined and they'll probably come and really try and attack the stumps and focus on those bowling partnerships," she said.

"As batters we need to remain disciplined and know that we're going to get really good value for shots along the floor at Bellerive.

"Ellie Falconer has got some good pace at the top and they've got a pretty well-balanced pace attack where they're pretty disciplined in coming in and attacking the stumps. So we'll just have to make sure that we remain really disciplined."

While she's yet to enjoy the ultimate success in domestic cricket, Villani hopes her experience in finals in a side that has never played in a decider before will be invaluable.

Image Id: 89C55082B3474DF1B446265B561405D4 Image Caption: 'Villani says her 'main job is just to remain really calm' // Getty

"I think sometimes in finals, teams can go away from their plan and away from doing the basics really well," she said.

"There's going to be different points during the game when we're going to be under pressure as a team and as individuals out in the middle. So if we can just sort of hold our nerve and know that our basics are good enough, then we'll be giving ourselves the best chance of being successful.

"My main job is just to remain really calm out in the middle so that whenever any of my teammates are looking at me, they just see a really calm person out on the field.

"My experience will just mean that I know that games are never done and dusted and there's always little things waiting around the corner.

"I'm certainly not taking this final for granted; I know how difficult it is to get into finals and obviously I haven't been a part of a winning one yet. So that would be something that I'd really love to be able to achieve before the end of my career."

Elyse Villani in WNCL finals

2009: Victoria lost to NSW by six wickets

2010: Victoria lost to NSW by 59 runs

2011: Victoria lost to NSW by 49 runs

2012: Victoria lost to NSW by 70 runs

2014: Victoria lost to NSW by seven wickets

2018: Western Australia lost to NSW by 51 runs

2021: Victoria lost to Queensland by 112 runs