Australian cricket has welcomed a new Test player whose journey to the baggy green nearly ended five years ago, saved by an unlikely conversation with an AFL cult hero.
From Career Crisis to Test Debut
Brendan Doggett finally made his Test debut this week after first being selected in a squad seven years ago, with his opportunity coming due to Josh Hazlewood's injury. The pace bowler's path nearly ended completely during his difficult transition from Queensland to South Australian cricket.
"I hit a point in South Australia where I thought I was going to be done just through my body not really working out," Doggett revealed to Channel 7 before Day 1 of the first Test in Perth.
The Turning Point Conversation
Doggett's career salvation came through a meeting arranged by South Australian cricket contacts with former Adelaide Crows forward Jason Porplyzia. The footballer, who kicked 181 goals from 130 games before retiring in 2014 due to injuries, shared his own experience with persistent physical problems.
"He had an injury similar to mine, he ended his career through injuries and just told me not to pull the pin and just to get through it and just enjoy it for what it is," Doggett explained. "That was a game-changer for me and just sort of steadied my ship and allowed me to enjoy the moment. Thankfully, the body and everything cooperated."
Historic Indigenous Representation
Doggett received his baggy green from fellow Indigenous cricketer Scott Boland, creating history as the pair became the first two Indigenous players in the same Australian Test team. Doggett is only the third First Nations man to play Test cricket for Australia, following Boland and Jason Gillespie.
The morning of his debut brought mixed emotions for the 30-year-old. "It's obviously been a very long morning. Thankfully, I slept pretty well last night, but woke up this morning, opened the blinds, looked straight up the stadium and I thought it's here," he said.
"Quickly followed by my two-year-old asking me to play trucks and trains with him. So I was quickly brought back to life. But yeah, I mean, it's great to be here now and I'm looking forward to getting started."
Doggett's cricket journey is particularly remarkable given he never made any representative teams until his early twenties. He earned his Queensland contract after dominating club cricket while working as a carpenter in Toowoomba.
"I feel like I've lived two lives," Doggett reflected. "Early on my career, I felt lucky just to be here and have this opportunity. I still do. Even this week, my old boss has been texting me, and tradesmen that I worked with, people I came across on job sites have been messaging me."
"It takes me back to those days, and it just reminds me of who I really am. I go back to Toowoomba, I'm just a tradie again, put the nail bag on and keep building houses. I loved that life. I was playing country cricket and working as a carpenter, and that was the dream for me. This is all just a bonus."
