Fire starters: Queensland's next generation arrives

A typically cheery Holly Ferling was one of very few Queensland Fire players prepared to describe herself as "up and about" in Sydney this morning following the squad's end-of-season celebrations overnight.

"I think there might be a few sore heads," she told cricket.com.au. "There's a few of the younger ones who were getting to know their limits."

To be fair, there was indeed cause for celebration. Though the Fire missed out on the final by just two points, and with it the chance to defend their WNCL title, the young group finished their campaign with a rout of fierce rivals New South Wales to cap off three straight wins, far exceeding the expectations of everyone except perhaps themselves.

And with an average age of 21 and six teenagers in their ranks, it is an exceptionally young group – so much so that within it, 26-year-old Ferling is routinely referred to as "the old girl".

"And I'm one of the only ones who can drive the hire cars," she laughs, "so when we leave training, it's like, 'Oh geez, the physio's gone early, the coaching staff have all jumped in a car together – who's left to drive?'

"But this group really came together, particularly for that last match. We spoke about the rivalry that is Queensland and New South Wales, and how much it actually means to a lot of us.

"A few of us older girls and some of the former players shared some of the heartbreaks that we've had against them, and some of the sweetest victories we've had over them as well.

"Then these young girls, they came out and really stuck to their strengths, and they played with this fearlessness that they all seem to have. It was pretty inspiring."

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When Queensland announced their 14-woman squad on March 4 for the resumption of the WNCL, it was notable chiefly for its absence of star power. No Beth Mooney, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Redmayne or Grace Harris – all match-winners, all in New Zealand with Australia's World Cup squad.

Ferling and 31-year-old Laura Harris, who was named skipper, were the only two players over 24, as Queensland and South Australia were hit hardest by World Cup absences, with four apiece.

But where some saw loss, Fire head coach Ashley Noffke saw opportunity.

"It is a young squad, but it's certainly built that way on purpose," says Noffke, who recently penned a three-year extension to his Queensland Cricket (QC) contract.

"There are people in there who self-pick by their performances over the last small period, and there are other girls we're really investing in because we believe in their ability.

"We used these opportunities (without the Australia contingent) to give them games, and that's part of feeling secure within a group – actually going out and doing it is the only way some of these young girls will believe in their ability … we know they're certainly capable of it."

Which is exactly what they've been doing.

On March 15, Ferling presented 15-year-old Lucy Hamilton with her Queensland Fire cap, marking a nice piece of symmetry for the new state teammates.

Like Ferling, who still wears the socks to prove it, Hamilton hails from the Wide Bay region of Queensland, a relatively small pocket of the state a few hours north of Brisbane that has also produced Mooney and current Fire player Courtney Sippel.

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Fire fledglings: Lucy Hamilton

Age: 15 | Left-arm fast bowler

Noffke says: "There's always an exciting air around a left-armer who can get the ball through. She's already bowling at decent pace for a young girl. She's got some growing to do, and some experiences to have, and there's plenty of training ahead for her, but the one thing we love about her is her zest for the game. She just loves the game. She plays club cricket with the boys on Saturdays and then plays Premier Cricket for the Sunshine Coast on Sundays."

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Ferling's words of wisdom to Hamilton included a slice of advice to "never forget where you come from" and the sentiment was heartfelt from a player who has been through her own journey of self-discovery across a decade of elite cricket.

The right-arm quick was just 16 when she made her Queensland debut back in October 2012 and was catapulted into the Australian side at the end of that same summer.

In the years immediately preceding her arrival there was Jonassen (16 years old), Mooney (16) and Delissa Kimmince (17), all regional products making their way to Brisbane and debuting for their state as school kids.

A decade on and those players are all heroes to this new generation, who have been reared on a diet of televised women's cricket, their dreams tangible and tantalising and more accessible than ever.

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Fire fledglings: Caitlin Mair

Age: 18 | Wicketkeeper-batter

Noffke says: "Caity's done a really good job. She's been in our squad two years now and she's getting  better and better as a wicketkeeper. I think her skills are only at the cusp of where she could get to, and she's definitely been working hard with Mark Sorell and a little bit with (trainer) Gavin Fitness on her 'keeping. She's an underrated batter at the moment, and I think she's working things out, and she'll definitely play a more dominant role with the bat over time."

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"They're leaps and bounds ahead of where Beth Mooney and I were when we were 16," says Ferling.

"And we're actually seeing it all across the country. It's a pretty cool period for Australian cricket right now; this generation of girls coming through, they're so confident, they've got the talent, and they've played a lot of cricket.

"When I grew up, I didn't even know that girls played cricket. It was just by chance that I trialled for a team and within two months made a Queensland team, and it was all because a girl at netball asked me to trial. But we're not leaving it to chance anymore."

Hamilton took 2-35 on debut last week, making the left-arm quick, who will be 16 in May, the youngest Fire player to take a wicket in the WNCL.

Image Id: 9DF2FC5F1481436896B5714EA13D6754 Image Caption: Hamilton is mobbed after taking her first wicket // Getty

As the Fire's previous generation underlines, high-class female players have traditionally risen to the top at an earlier age than their male counterparts. But right now, according to those well placed to judge, the young talent pool is deeper than ever. And it is a trend throughout Australia, with teenagers Hannah Darlington (NSW), Darcie Brown (SA) and Annabel Sutherland (Vic) all making their international debuts in recent times, and the NSW XI that lined up against the Fire yesterday only one year older (22) on average than their Queensland counterparts.

Last July, QC recruited former Australia rep Melissa Bulow on a part-time basis to join the female selection panel, alongside Noffke and former Australia head coach Mark Sorell, who is state talent manager for the women's game and has a wide brief that includes talent identification, pathways and working with elite players.

Bulow's appointment was an investment in the women's game that had been identified as an imperative following a review into the state's operations.

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Fire fledglings: Courtney Sippel

Age: 20 | Bowling allrounder

Noffke says: "'Sip' has been growing every year – if we only go back two years, she was someone who was in the background, maybe playing one match and trying to make it work, but she's been doing a lot of growing up. She's getting better and better and starting to understand the game a little bit more. We've given her a bit more experience with the bat. She's probably played the most cricket she's played in a year ever, with all her WBBL into Australia A and then WNCL, and she's had a great year, I think in terms of progressing to where she needs to be. She's got some things she's working on, but she's doing a great job leading a young brigade of fast bowlers."

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Bulow had been out of the game since calling time on her playing days in the 2013-14 season but had worked with Sorrel previously in the national set-up, and as a 23-time national rep with a background in accountancy, she remains a highly-respected figure in the Queensland game.  

"When I first went out to watch some Premier Cricket, I was really pleasantly surprised by the depth of talent," she says. "And young kids, too, like 15, 16, 17-year-olds, and you can see that now with the Fire, that talent coming through.

"I think that comes from the fact that young girls are seeing (women's cricket) on television now, and it's a viable pathway. 'You can't be what you can't see' – that's being said a lot now, and it's just so true.

"That's only helped develop that broad talent pool, and it's right across the state, too, where we've got coaching talent specialists doing a great job across the regions in identifying that talent.

"It really augurs well for the next 5-10 years."

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Fire fledglings: Ellie Johnston

Age: 19 | Right-hand batter

Noffke says: "Ellie's a cracker. Just a great human. She probably backs herself the most out of any of the young girls – she's got a real strong sense of self. She's very talented, and she can hit the ball incredibly hard. Harnessing that power into control, and knowing when and where to apply, is going to be a really critical factor for her."

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It is the shorter end of that time scale that QC has been looking to prepare the Fire for. Between Noffke, Bulow and Sorell, a five-year plan for the group has been established, and it is already being put into practice on the field; a case in point – the blooding of 19-year-old Charli Knott as deputy to stand-in skipper Harris.

Bulow describes Knott as having "such a good solid, mature head on her shoulders", while Noffke sees the allrounder's elevation as "getting some young people around some older heads to go out and see what it's like to be a leader within the group".

"It's all part of the learning process," he says. "We don't necessarily expect certain things from her now, it's more that we think she's got great qualities, and over time, they'll get better and better.

"So this was an opportunity for her."

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Fire fledglings: Charli Knott

Age: 19 | Batting allrounder

Noffke says: "Charli's a really level-headed young lady. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She's a smart girl, very intuitive in terms of her emotions. With the bat, she'll show (her talent) in time. It's up to her to start believing in that now. She's got plenty of ability and she'll definitely score runs."

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The Knott example represents the broader outlook of the Fire brains trust, for which the winning end to the summer (aided by a couple of standout innings from in-form 23-year-old Mikayla Hinkley as much as any of the youth brigade) was essentially a bonus on top of the experience the young group gained.

"We didn't start the (resumption of the) competition well, with a couple of (failed) run chases against Victoria and ACT, but again, that's part of the learning experience," Noffke says.  

"I don't get too caught up in that, really; we're investing in the future.

"We all love to win, but one thing I've seen is it really did hurt the girls that they didn't get those run chases done, and it's really driving them to something bigger and better.

"There's going to be some key contributors within this team that will create ongoing success for Queensland."

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Ferling is revelling in her role as teammate and mentor of the young Fire brigade. The Kingaroy product earned each of her 34 Australia caps before her 21st birthday before falling out of favour at the national level, and as such is well briefed in the travails of life as a professional sportsperson.

She is encouraging the group to remain tightknit, which she believes will not only hold them in good stead but potentially also prove a competitive advantage.

"Laura Harris and I were reflecting on this the other day," she says. "So (former state teammate) Jemma Barsby and I were really close and we played underage and came through the system together, but these girls have all played underage together.

"You start to see that bond right across the group. You've got 'Knotty' and 'Volly' (Georgia Voll), who obviously have a real connection when it comes to batting together, and you see them bowling in tandem together as well.

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Fire fledglings: Georgia Voll

Age: 18 | Batting allrounder

Noffke says: "'Volly' plays a leadership role in a different way. She's got a lot of inner belief and drive. She wants to be successful – that's clear to anyone who talks to her. It drives her. She's a really good trainer, she's very dedicated, and one of the things we talk to her about is giving herself a break. She sets a really high bar and that's great – she drags people along with her training ethic and her will to succeed. She's certainly a leader in that space and she backs herself which is a really critical part of cricket."

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"So my advice has been just about sticking together. The friendship they've all got is actually going to be the point of difference in the coming years – you look at the Australian men's Test team and the fast-bowling cartel there, all the New South Wales players.

"They've got a real chance to keep looking out for each other and really be a part of each other's careers moving forward in this really cool era that's going to evolve over the next 5-10 years."

Image Id: 4FF32C34DBFD46BBAE5C69A3703BA600 Image Caption: Ferling is loving her role as a senior player in the young Fire group // Getty

Ferling is also insistent that her young teammates are provided the opportunity and environment to develop themselves as people as much as cricketers.

"I think you've got to allow them to still learn to become the cricketers they want to be," she adds. "I look back and think I was quite mature for my age, but I probably didn't have the self-confidence, and I really didn't know myself – and no-one at 16, 17 knows who they really are, what they're about and what makes him tick.

"So it's particularly important that we ensure these girls get the opportunity to learn who they are as women. Because once you have that understanding of yourself, the understanding of the game also increases; you know where you go when you're under pressure, you know who you are when you're feeling really good.

"And I think that ability to learn your skills and become a really skilful player, that's the opportunity ahead, and they've got so much time to do that as opposed to necessarily being rushed.

"I love this idea of giving them a taste of what it's about and instilling that inspiration in them as to what they're going to achieve in the next 10 years, but I think we've got a real duty to these girls to make sure they're continuing to progress, and continuing to develop as not only skilful cricketers, but as people as well."

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Fire fledglings: Grace Parsons

Age: 18 | Leg-spin bowler

Noffke says: "Grace has got a big future. She's got a great little character, and she's a very calm person underneath as well. It's a tough craft, leg spin, but she's already showing great signs that she can handle the rigours of domestic cricket."

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Judging by their recent efforts to organise flood donations for those in need on either side of the Qld-NSW border, the players certainly appear to be living the QC strategic goal pertaining to 'Better Players and Teams', which states: Identify, develop and produce great cricketers and successful teams, and even better people.

As a former player, Bulow views herself as being well-placed and even duty-bound to make an impact in this space.

"That's part of my role, too – to try and build those relationships with the players," she says. "And for someone like Lucy Hamilton, who we see as having a massive future, she's still 15, comes from Bundaberg, from a sporting family … so at that tender age, it's as much about dealing with parents and their families, and making sure it's a safe, supportive environment for their child to be playing in."

Noffke agrees, and views the two developmental aspects as going hand in hand as his young players navigate their formative years in elite cricket. Through that time, he knows some will exit, fresh faces will arrive, and other squad members such as 21-year-old Lilly Mills and 19-year-old Ruth Johnston will feature again in the best XI. Within that dynamic, he feels as though the building blocks are in place to allow quality characters to grow and thrive.

"With Mark (Sorell) and Mel (Bulow), we've got some really good heads there – people who have seen young cricketers come and go," he explains.

"We're looking at the future of the women's game and what style or type of player we really need here at Queensland, whether that's in Premier Cricket or playing in the Queensland Fire group.

"But we do believe we've got a really nice mix here, and we're trying to invest in it."