Scorchers re-sign coach, pinpoint areas to improve for WBBL|11

Perth Scorchers will target a batting allrounder to provide support for Beth Mooney this off-season, while stronger contributions from local players will also be critical if the club is to return to the WBBL finals, coach Becky Grundy says.

Grundy has penned a new two-year deal with both Perth and Western Australia, which will see her remain at the helm of the Scorchers until at least the end of WBBL|12.

With the domestic summer having drawn to a close, attention is now turning to recruitment for WBBL|11, with the contracting embargo for local players expected to lift shortly.

The Scorchers have six players on the books already, including Australia stars Beth Mooney and Alana King, while New Zealand's Sophie Devine is on a multi-year deal.

Perth missed the finals for the second consecutive season last summer, with a lack of batting support for Mooney a significant factor. While the wicketkeeper-batter was the competition's third highest run scorer with 386 at 38.6, the Scorchers' next highest contributor was Devine, with 213 at 23.6.

Overseas draftees Amy Jones (87 runs from seven games at 12.42) and Hemalatha Dayalan (99 in eight at 12.37) also did not perform as hoped, with both outscored by replacement player Brooke Halliday, who hit 109 runs at 36.33 in just three innings.

Their most productive local player after Mooney was pinch hitter Alana King with 105 runs, and no other player passed 100 runs for the season.

Reflecting on where last season did not to go to plan, Grundy told cricket.com.au the club would reflect on its strategy for this season's overseas draft, while it would need to look at its local players, pointing to the strong domestic core that has been a significant factor in the recent success of clubs including Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat.

"(We need to look at) how we can get more so our domestic players contributing and winning games for us – that's where you see the top teams consistently performing," Grundy said.

"That's been a goal for us for a couple of years, and something that we just need to keep chipping away at.

"Our bowling unit, which was underdone with injuries (last season) kept us in some games and won us some really close games where we potentially underperformed with the bat, and we found ourselves reliant on Beth Mooney for consistency of runs.

"You've got to have contributions from a number of players in your order, and we probably haven't had that.

"Allrounders are always a hot topic in T20 cricket ... a batting allrounder is probably something that we need to look at and how we can have that support for Beth so that she's not carrying the team too much."

Grundy will also continue overseeing Western Australia in the Women's National Cricket League, with WA high performance manager Kade Harvey pointing to her "clear and ambitious vision" for both WA and the Scorchers.

WA finished on the bottom of the table in 2024-25 with three wins from 12 matches after their bowling attack was hit hard by injuries, but they had several standout performers including wicketkeeper-batter Maddy Darke and spinners Amy Edgar and Lilly Mills, who have all earned Australia A call-ups off the back of their campaigns.

"Performances haven't been where we'd have liked but for us to keep seeing the development that has been happening with the program, and individually players getting recognised for national tours, I think there's a lot of good stuff that I'm proud of ... and you hope that stuff eventually clicks and it transfers on to on-field results," Grundy said.

"I think we had challenges from the start of the season which carried through with injuries.

"But that provided opportunities for others … and you hope that they get the benefit in years to come in having those exposures.

"I think we're closer than what the table suggested. But it's always disappointing when you don't see that transfer into results."

Grundy has also been appointed head coach of Australia A for this month's multi-format series against England A.

It is the 34-year-old's first opportunity to lead a national side, with the series to feature three T20s, three one-dayers and a four-day game, all played in Sydney.

"The multi-format series, it's cool to be a part of that – the preparations and how you switch between the formats is a good learning for them, but also a good learning for us as well," Grundy said.

"It'll be good to work with (different) … and working with new staff too, it's good to get different experiences and new ideas.

"The red-ball stuff is not something that I've had any experience in ... I had a couple of games when I was playing, but there's a couple of other staff that have played and been involved in that a little bit more, so I'll definitely be leaning on them."