It isn't just the work on the field that has led Western Australia to domestic cricket domination, it is the masterful coaching of Adam Voges behind the scenes
Voges 'so good' as WA rise to fifth title in seven years
WA batter Hilton Cartwright has shed light on the benefits his team has gained from the relationships coach Adam Voges has forged with his players following a record third-straight Marsh One-Day Cup title.
Since taking charge as head coach of WA in 2018, Voges has used his experience of playing with many of the current players to enhance his team's performance, leading to titles such as Sunday afternoons in Sydney where Cartwright played a crucial 73no to steer his state to a brilliant five-wicket win over NSW.
"He (Voges) has got such a big influence because a lot of us have played with him," Cartwright told reporters after the win.
"We know when he starts speaking about how to play certain situations, how to go about certain games, we have seen it personally – we know exactly how he used to lead as a captain for WA.
"I know when he opens his mouth and speaks about learning from games and performing in games, we can almost directly relate our own knowledge to the way he used to go about it.
"He has utilised that amazingly as a coach and that's what has made him so good for WA over the last five, six years now."
The working ecosystem not only shines a light on Voges' masterful guidance, but also opens the door to the idea of more former players taking up coaching immediately after retiring.
Voges' career, featuring 20 Test matches for Australia at an average of 61.87 and more than 400 games for WA, ended in early 2018 with the Perth Scorchers before he quickly moved into head coaching later that year.
He has since claimed an unprecedented four domestic one-day titles and back-to-back Marsh Sheffield Shield and KFC Big Bash titles as coach.
Cartwright credited Voges and his coaching group for being "exceptional" in allocating resources between red and white-ball cricket.
WA's most recent 50-over triumph put them alongside NSW in being the only teams to win three One-Day Australian domestic titles in a row.
The state had just one 50-over title (2014) to its name over an 11-year period between 2005 and 2016 before going on to win five championships in the last seven years.
In the Sheffield Shield, before winning in 2022 and 2023, WA last claimed the top honour in 1999.
Maybe some time soon, it will be old teammates of Voges in the current Australia side who he guides to glory.
Marsh Cup 2023-24 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | Bat | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
NSW
|
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.33 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
|
2
WA
|
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.543 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
|
3
VIC
|
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.232 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
|
4
TAS
|
7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.201 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
|
5
QLD
|
7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.735 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
|
6
SA
|
7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.327 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
PTS: Total points