SA turn to local talent to complete men's squad

After investing heavily in interstate talent over recent years, South Australia have signed a pair of home-grown talents to round out their men's contract list for the 2024-25.

Left-handed opener Conor McInerney – who played 14 first-class games for SA between 2018 and 2020 – and former state under-17s and under-19s pace bowler Campbell Thompson have been included in the 26-man line-up announced today.

McInerney's first iteration as a Marsh Sheffield Shield batter yielded 565 runs at an average of 20.93 with a best of 63 against Victoria in his fifth outing, but he has been a strong performer for Woodville and Glenelg at Premier Cricket level where he posted 489 runs at 54.33 last season.

With regular opener Henry Hunt sidelined due to a facial injury, McInerney earned a recall for the final Shield game of 2023-24 where he scored 21 and 16 against Tasmania but also plucked five smart slips catches in a bowler-dominated game.

The 30-year-old's resurrection mirrors the opportunity granted to fellow left-handed opener Kelvin Smith who was added to SA's contract list last summer after scoring heavily in Premier Cricket and thrown a career lifeline four years after being previously jettisoned by state selectors.

With Smith and another left-hander Jake Carder now culled from next season's contract list, plus long-time opener Jake Weatherald's move to Tasmania last year, McInerney seems likely to partner Hunt against the new ball in 2024-25 as SA look to lift themselves up the ladder.

Having finished second-bottom (ahead of Queensland) in the Shield competition and last in the Marsh One-Day Cup in 2023-24, SA announced last week they had signed former New South Wales (and Australia under-19) captain Jason Sangha and ex-Victoria batter Mackenzie Harvey.

In addition to Smith and former WA recruit Carder, uncapped batter Isaac Higgins was not offered a new deal while injury plagued pace bowler David Grant has effectively called time on his career to pursue new challenges.

Grant's absence paves the way for left-arm seamer Thompson who claimed 29 wickets for East Torrens in Premier Cricket last summer, the fourth-best aggregate in the competition.

The 20-year-old was also part of SA's Pathway Academy and was drafted into the Cricket Australia XI that played West Indies in a pre-Test tour game at Karen Rolton Oval last January.

Thompson will join a lengthy line-up of pace bowlers that includes interstate recruits Brendan Doggett (Queensland), Harry Conway and Nathan McAndrew (NSW), and Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham and Henry Thornton (Victoria) under former Australia Test quick and interim SA coach Ryan Harris.

"We’re really pleased to have rewarded some strong SACA Premier Cricket performers with State contracts," Harris said today.

"Despite previously losing his spot on the list, Conor (McInerney) went back to Premier Cricket and put in seasons worth of consistent performances that have earned him a second chance.

"Campbell (Thompson) is a young gun who has already had a big impact on Premier Cricket, and we are really excited to see develop in our rookie program.

"We believe that including Conor and Campbell, along with Jason (Sangha) and Mackenzie (Harvey), has nicely complemented our list and added great depth.

"We are looking forward to seeing what our entire 26-man squad can do in 2024-25."

Nathan McSweeney, who led the CA XI, Prime Minister's XI and Brisbane Heat to the KFC BBL title last summer, has been appointed SA captain in place of Jake Lehmann for next summer.

The SA Cricket Association's next assignment is to find a high-performance manager and a coach for the men's team and Adelaide Strikers BBL outfit after Tim Nielsen and Jason Gillespie both departed those respective roles in recent months.

South Australia men's contract list 2024-25: Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey*, Harry Conway, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Travis Head*, Henry Hunt, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton. Rookies: Kyle Brazell, Aidan Cahill, Harry Matthias, Campbell Thompson

Ins: Mackenzie Harvey, Conor McInerney, Jason Sangha, Campbell Thompson

Outs: Jake Carder, David Grant, Isaac Higgins, Kelvin Smith

*Denotes Cricket Australia contract

You'll want the best seat in the house for this season's action! Priority access for tickets opens June 4 – Register now