‘Look out’: Inside plot to reignite Konstas as mistake Aussies made with prodigy laid bare

Newly-appointed New South Wales coach Brad Haddin believes young opener Sam Konstas was thrown into the Test arena “too early”, outlining his plan to produce the next generation of Australian cricket superstars at the Blues.

On Wednesday morning, NSW Cricket confirmed that former Australian wicketkeeper Haddin had been appointed as the new Blues coach, replacing the outgoing Greg Shipperd in the role.

The 48-year-old’s appointment comes after NSW once again failed to qualify for the Sheffield Shield final, winning just two of their ten matches and finishing fifth on the standings. The Blues haven’t won a first-class title since 2020, when the Sheffield Shield final wasn’t played due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Watch Live & Free coverage of the 2026 Marsh Sheffield Shield with Kayo Freebies | Register free now >

“The one thing we’ve always done here at New South Wales is we hold high standards,” Haddin told reporters at Silverwater’s Cricket Central on Wednesday.

“We expect a lot from not only our staff and our organisation, but our players as well. I’m going to be no different with that.

“I’m going to expect a lot from this group.”

Haddin, who played 66 Tests and 126 ODIs before his retirement in 2015, previously served as the national team’s fielding coach and worked as an assistant coach for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.

The NSW legend expressed enthusiasm at the opportunity to work alongside a young playing group that he believes features some “generational talent”.

“I actually don’t think they know how good they are yet, and that’s what excites me,” he said.

“If we can just free them up a bit and get some really good habits on what it looks like to be a professional cricketer, I don’t want to put a ceiling on some of these kids, but they can do things that we wouldn’t think about.”

One of the Blues’ most exciting young prospects remains Konstas, who has played five Tests since his unforgettable Australia debut during the 2024 Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

The 20-year-old was dropped from the national side after last year’s disappointing Frank Worrell Trophy campaign against the West Indies in the Caribbean, where he contributed 50 runs at 8.33 across three matches.

“I think when we saw his first Test match, the whole country was excited,” Haddin said of Konstas.

“I haven’t seen excitement around a player like that for a long time. Now he’s got an opportunity to come back and hone his game and to get back to where he was.

“I think he may have got thrown in there too early.”

Although he showed glimmers of excellence this summer, headlined by his Sheffield Shield century against Queensland at the SCG in December, Konstas looks set to lose his national contract ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Haddin acknowledged that although Konstas failed to notch a Sheffield Shield half-century since the Big Bash League break, he survived the new ball in each innings, never dismissed for less than 27 across eight knocks.

Despite a seemingly underwhelming summer with the bat, the right-hander still finished as the Blues’ leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield with 660 runs at 33.00. His challenge moving forward will be converting those starts into substantial, match-winning scores.

“There are parts of his game that I’m really impressed with,” Haddin continued.

“I had a look at his season recently and there’s a lot of talk about where his game is at, but he got a start in every innings this summer. That’s the hardest time to bat … he’s getting through that initial stage at the top of the order.

“Once he starts to understand what his game is at and under pressure, look out. The kid can play.”

New South Wales was once the breeding ground for a generation of some of Australia’s greatest players, including but not limited to the likes of Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Michael Clarke, David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

However, since the start of 2017, only two of Australia’s 24 Test debutants have come from the NSW set-up, something Haddin is eager to rectify.

“I’m under no illusions that I’ve got to start to produce some Australian players,” he said.

“From my point of view, I’ve got to start to find some players ready to play for Australia.

“There’s going to be retirements over the next few years, and we need the next guys stepping up to be NSW players.

“I want to tap into some of this talent and make sure that that’s the goal for everyone.

“My goal is to get as many players as I can playing for Australia.”

Click here to read article