Melbourne Renegades set to part ways with coach David Saker

Melbourne Renegades are set to part ways with BBL coach David Saker despite him having a year to run on his contract after another dismal season where they finished seventh.

Saker, 57, was contracted to coach the Renegades for the 2024-25 season, which would have been his fourth in charge after taking over in 2021. But following a disappointing season where Renegades finished second last and won just two games, and also axed their captain Nic Maddinson, it is understood Renegades will seek a fresh start yet again with Saker’s tenure set to end early.

Renegades have been the poorest performing club in the BBL since Andrew McDonald coached them to their inaugural title in 2018-19. McDonald left the role immediately after claiming that title when he joined the Australian team as an assistant before eventually becoming the national head coach in 2022.

Michael Klinger took over as Renegades coach for the 2019-20 season but lasted just two summers as Renegades finished bottom of the BBL for two seasons running. Klinger departed to take up an administrative role with Cricket New South Wales.

Saker was brought in for 2021-22 but Renegades finished last for a third straight year before bouncing back to finish third in 2022-23, winning seven games and hosting the Knockout where they were beaten by eventual finalists Brisbane Heat.

But 2023-24 saw Renegades regress again. They were winless in their first five games and only managed to win two of their last five. They experienced a high turnover of players, with Maddinson axed as captain while Aaron Finch was in and out of the side before eventually calling time on his BBL career. Shaun Marsh also only managed five games due to injury issues before announcing his retirement.

Renegades have made some list changes already in the off-season signing Brisbane Heat opener Josh Brown in the hopes he can form a dynamic opening duo with Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Renegades are also seeking to appoint a new high performance manager who will oversee the cricket program. Melbourne Stars have advertised for a similar role. Cricket Victoria created the two roles to try and build a better link between the Victoria men’s program and the two Victoria BBL clubs, given they have been run as three separate entities without much connection in recent years.