Speaking to the media this morning, Head was enthusiastic about the inclusion of Chadd Sayers and backed the Redbacks bowling attackto restrict the Warriors on an unusually grassy Adelaide deck.
“He’s a great in, he’s a world-class bowler,” said Head.
“He lead our attack really well last year, Richo’s leading the attack at the moment, and together both of them are a great combination.”
“The wicket’s got a little bit of grass at the moment, it offered a little bit for the ball [in the last match], so hopefully Chaddy can get as much out of that as possible.”
Whilst conceding that the loss to New South Wales was disappointing, Siddons said the squad had not dwelled on the loss to a Blues team laden with Test talent, particularly given the short turnaround between the Matador Final and opening Shield clash.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the four-day game, we’re hoping now we’ve had some time to switch on to four-day cricket,” he said.
“The excitement of being in a one-day final, and the work that went into that and a different type of game, we just didn’t switch on quick enough, whereas New South being a bit more experienced, they did it quite well.
“We’ve pushed that aside quite quickly, the boys are ready to go and are looking forward to the challenge of this game.”
The new Redbacks coach also said the humbling early season loss had served as a good close-up example of the new “world-class” standards the squad had been striving to incorporate over the pre-season.
“[The players] have got to understand what “world-best” is, and those guys are the best players in the world at the moment,” he said.
“I want players wanting to play for Australia, and to play for Australia you’ve got be as good as Starc and Smith.
“It’s a good example of what we need to aspire to.”
The match begins tomorrow from 10.30am local time, with gates opening at 10am.