Tony Palladino is relishing his new player/coach role at Derbyshire and says there is a real excitement within the squad ahead of a busy winter.
The 33-year-old is one of 12 players to have committed their future to Derbyshire in 2016, signing a two-year contract and taking on a new player/coach role as outlined in the coaching model.
The new structure will be implemented by Director of Cricket, Kim Barnett, and will see greater responsibility for results given to the players, which Palladino feels should bring about more positive results.
He said: “I think the new coaching model is an exciting one. It has not really been tried at any other county before but I think it can be a success for us.
“I think the fact that there is more responsibility given to the players is a good thing and will hopefully bring about an improvement on the field. We will be under more pressure which brings about more motivation which can only be a good thing.
“Kim [Barnett] has achieved everything at Derbyshire and his influence and inspiration will be important for especially the younger players.
“He still speaks so passionately about the Club and only wants success for Derbyshire so hopefully his playing success can rub off on us.”
Speaking about his player/coach role, Palladino added: “First and foremost, I am still a player and I see myself as continuing to play a big role for Derbyshire on the field.
“I feel like I had a good last season and want to do that again next year as I had a good rhythm.
“Then in addition to that I will be in a coaching role, mainly working with the young bowlers. This is a good opportunity for me as bowling coaching is something I really want to do in the future.”
During the off-season, the Club has moved to secure the futures of a number of players, in addition to the signings of Gary Wilson and Luis Reece, who Palladino thinks will fit in well.
Palladino said: “I think it was important that some of the players were given new contracts because it gives them the belief in themselves that the Club still wants them.
“The confidence they will get from that should help us going forward. Everybody who has been kept on is here on merit and I believe there are some really good players here.
“Gary [Wilson] and Luis [Reece] should fit in really well here. Both are very talented cricketers and bring a bit more experience and competition into the squad.
“Gary also has experience of captaining a big club like Surrey which can only help us, whilst I have played against Luis a couple of times and he is a very strong batsman and should do well here.
“The overseas players being added to the likes of Gary, Luis and the guys that have been given new contracts should make for a great side.
He added: “The main thing I want from 2017 is to be winning games. As I only played red-ball cricket last year, I didn’t experience a win for Derbyshire all season.
“We know it will take a lot of work but we also know we can get those wins. We were in the position to win a number of times in 2016 and let it slip at the final hurdle.
“I am confident that 2017 will be a successful year for us all.”
Join us for the 2017 season. Membership will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 19 October and the day/night first-class tour fixture versus West Indies is included.
