On Australia Day 2019, Beth Mooney etched her name into Brisbane Heat folklore, leading her team to their maiden WBBL title with a player-of-the-match performance.
A year later, Mooney again played a starring role as the Heat went back-to-back, cementing their dominance in the competition.
But beneath the celebrations, trouble was brewing. A volatile falling out between Mooney and then-coach Ash Noffke saw management back the divisive coach over their superstar.
The fallout led to Mooney’s departure to the Perth Scorchers, where she continued her dominance as the competition’s leading run-scorer for four consecutive years, guiding the Scorchers to their first title just two seasons later.
Mooney’s exit was the first crack in the Heat’s WBBL empire. The departures of other key players followed, and the trend has only continued.
Most recently, Georgia Voll fell out with management and moved to Sydney, where she has since become an Australian player – yet another young star lost due to mismanagement.
While the Heat’s men’s side had been in the doldrums for years, a glimmer of hope appeared when General Manager of High Performance Bennett King and Coach Wade Seccombe adopted a more strategic approach.
They prioritised undervalued players like Josh Brown and Spencer Johnson, who would become instrumental in delivering the Heat their first title in a decade.
But instead of building on that success, the Heat reverted to their old ways.
Nathan McSweeney. (Photo by Chris Hyde – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
King and Seccombe both fell out with senior management and were quietly moved on, a move symptomatic of an organisation with a reputation for internal bloodletting.
Since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was used as a cover to retrench dozens of staff, Queensland Cricket has struggled to retain experienced cricket minds.
Martin Love, who had been with the organisation for decades, disappeared almost overnight, with nothing more than a short email announcing his departure.
Adam Dale was also moved on, part of a sweeping and controversial post-COVID restructure that stripped Queensland Cricket of its long-term leadership and experience.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Heat’s list management floundered without the guidance of experienced operators like King and Seccombe.
Questionable decisions saw aging Colin Munro and Jimmy Peirson – who, despite being a quality cricketer, was never suited to T20 cricket – prioritised over younger, more dynamic options like Josh Brown and Sam Billings.
By the time respected coach Johan Botha arrived, the squad was riddled with aging and injured players, lacking the batting firepower needed to compete with sides like the Hurricanes, Thunder, and Stars.
The result was predictable. While other teams innovated and built squads capable of defending 200-run totals, the Heat clung to underperforming veterans.
Mitch Swepson. (Photo by Jason McCawley – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Reliable performers like Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Swepson, and Michael Neser were targeted by opposition teams, and the Heat managed just one win in their final seven games. They avoided the wooden spoon only due to a rain-affected match against the Sixers.
Despite the disastrous season, management has again promised a review. If past performance is any guide, this likely signals more internal bloodletting, as scapegoats are found for systemic failures.
The Heat’s woes are mirrored by the Queensland Bulls, who are facing back-to-back wooden spoons in the Sheffield Shield, raising serious questions about the state of Queensland Cricket as a whole.
For how much longer can CEO Terry Svenson and the Board avoid scrutiny? Once a powerhouse, Queensland Cricket is now viewed by Cricket Australia as its problem child – both financially and from a performance perspective.
Unless meaningful changes are made at the top, the Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket face a long road back to credibility.
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