By David Nagel
A long-lasting friendship and the chance to be part of the wonderful culture at the Tooradin Cricket Club has lured Michael and Peter Sweeney to the Seagulls nest this season.
Mick Sweeney will toss the coin for the first time as captain-coach of the Seagulls when the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) comes to life on Saturday 7 October.
Interested in the outcome of the toss will be his younger brother Pete, a left-arm finger-spinner and bat, while former teammate and current-day Tooradin star Tom Hussey will be a member of the first XI.
The first outing together will fulfill a promise the trio made to each other many years ago, with Mick and Pete making the switch to Tooradin after a three-year stint with DDCA Turf 2 club Cranbourne.
“It’s been a long time coming to be honest, something we’ve thought about for a while,” Mick Sweeney explained, with the season fast approaching.
“Pete is the same age as Tom Hussey, they went to school together, and I was a couple of year levels above.
“We played at Cranbourne together with Tom, then at Dandenong with him as well.
“I opened the batting with Huss for a couple of years in the twos and some of my fondest memories of playing cricket have been with Tom, in particular one year where we opened together and did really well.
“Tom left and went to Casey, for opportunity, and we’ve always said we’d play another season together.
“If not now, then I’m not sure when…so here we are.”
Mick and Pete arrive on the banks of the Westernport with impeccable CV’s after being lured to the great game at a young age in the confines of their family home in Pearcedale.
“Like a lot of other kids, we probably fell in love with the game in the backyard to be honest,” Mick said.
“Pete’s three years younger than me so as soon as he could get the arm over, we were into it.
“Like every backyard, we had our hitting zones, our out zones…if you hit my sister’s pram, you were out, that type of thing.
“We were super-competitive even back then, and then when we were old enough to face a hard ball dad would take us down the road to the nets at Pearcedale.
“That’s where it all began.”
Mick played juniors at Cranbourne, from the age of nine through to under 17s, at the same time starting his District career at Melbourne – in the Dowling Shield and fourth XI.
Pete started a couple of years later at Dandenong, with Mick following his younger brother to Shepley Oval after watching him play one day.
Both are now life-members at Dandenong, with Mick making a first-XI century and Pete playing in a flag in 2010/11, with Mick as twelfth man.
There recent time at Cranbourne has proved frustrating, with Mick leading the club to three-consecutive finals appearances without a flag.
Despite there appearing some unfinished business at Casey Fields, the pair have decided to move on.
“The time just felt right,” Mick, a right-hand middle order bat said.
“The committee was great at Cranbourne, and it was difficult telling those people that we were going to leave.
“We finished in good positions all three years, but just couldn’t get over the line, and it felt like time for a change.
“I don’t have many years left and the lure of playing with Huss has always been there.”
Mick said making the switch from DDCA Turf 2 to the synthetic pitches of the CCCA would provide its challenges, with teams such as reigning-premier Kooweerup possessing a pace-battery to be wary of.
“Turf 2 in the DDCA is quite a unique competition, in the fact that it’s dominated by spin,” Sweney said.
“Mostly right-arm finger spin, there were some lefties like Pete, and the odd leggie as well, but very, very spin dependent.
“Pete and I were joking that we haven’t played a competitive game of synthetic cricket in over 20 years.
“And we’re coming from a spin dominated competition, to a league where it’s pretty medium-paced dominated.
“We’re expecting the ball to move around a little bit, particularly with the red ball, and the stats suggest that batters go pretty good against the white ball as well.
“For the first time in a long time I’ll have to be a fast learner, coming in with fresh eyes and learning about our team and the style and strengths of the opposition.”
Mick said expectations were always high at Tooradin, who won the premiership in 2021/22 and finished top of the table last year.
“That is one of the things that is challenging, taking over a club that has always been around the mark,” he said.
“That’s one of the questions I asked BJ (President Ben Parrott) and Tom (Hussey), like, what do you blokes want from me…you’re already a fantastic cricket club…how can I help.
“They let me know a few things they thought we could improve on, but what the club has created there in terms of the culture, that’s something I want to be a part of.
“It’s difficult in one sense, because they’re already a great club and how do you add to that…but I also have full respect for the culture that’s already been created and what we’re walking in to.
“The environment that Tooradin’s got is fantastic.
“Some pre-seasons can be pretty long, but this one hasn’t been…I’ve really enjoyed it alongside blokes who get it, blokes I know, and blokes who are willing to absorb the expectation.
“Going out and enjoying the expectation of winning is fun…so we’re looking forward to it.
“And it’s all about the people, everywhere I’ve played, when I’ve played well and really enjoyed my cricket, it’s been the people that have made it special.”
