Adam Voges 'big influence' as Western Australia bag historic Marsh Cup hat-trick

In a cricketing twist that echoes the sentiment of 'old is gold,' Western Australia batter Hilton Cartwright recently shared insights into the game-changing impact of coach Adam Voges on the team's recent triumph in the Marsh One-Day Cup.

Since taking the reins as head coach in 2018, Voges, a former Australian cricketer with an impressive track record, has been weaving success stories for Western Australia. Cartwright, speaking after their third consecutive title win, highlighted the unique edge Voges brings to the coaching arena.

“He (Voges) has got such a big influence because a lot of us have played with him. 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," Cartwright said, as quoted by Cricket.com.au

It's the personal touch that sets Voges apart, turning coaching sessions into relatable narratives of past victories and challenges. Cartwright emphasised how the coach's words resonate because they can directly relate their own experiences to Voges' on-field leadership.

"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," he added.

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The success of this working ecosystem not only underscores Voges' masterful guidance but also opens doors to the prospect of more former players seamlessly transitioning into coaching roles immediately after retiring.

Voges, with a stellar playing career featuring 20 Test matches for Australia and over 400 games for WA, made a swift transition to coaching in 2018. Since then, he has steered WA to an unprecedented four domestic one-day titles and consecutive Marsh Sheffield Shield and KFC Big Bash titles.

Cartwright praised Voges and his coaching team for their exceptional resource management, especially in allocating resources between red and white-ball cricket. WA's recent 50-over triumph now places them alongside NSW as the only teams to secure three consecutive One-Day Australian domestic titles.

This success marks a significant turnaround for WA, which had a single 50-over title in an 11-year period from 2005 to 2016. In the Sheffield Shield, the team had last claimed the top honour in 1999 before Voges' strategic coaching led to victories in 2022 and 2023.