Cricket NSW CEO - Lee Germon joins Afternoons | 2/02/26

·16 min·1 clip

Lee Germon explains why he fired the coach seven months after extending his contract.

This episode features an interview with Lee Germon, CEO of Cricket New South Wales, conducted by SEN host Glenn Hawke. Germon explains the recent decision to end head coach Greg Shipperd's contract despite extending it just seven months prior. He frames this move as a necessary step to elevate the state's professional men's teams from competitiveness to consistent title-winning. Germon states the organization's standard is "winning titles," a benchmark he applies equally to himself as CEO. He acknowledges Shipperd successfully stabilized the team after a poor period, making them competitive in the Sheffield Shield and One-Day cups. However, Germon cites three "poor losses" this season and a lack of visible progress in "style of play" as reasons for the change. He defines the desired style as an optimistic, positive mentality "prepared to lose to win" matches. Germon reveals he personally made the decision after observing the team over three and a half years, concluding he didn't see a quick enough shift. He dismisses the challenge of player unavailability—with up to 15 representing Australia or Australia A—as an excuse for not winning. Germon references his own cricket career in New Zealand, where his team won eight titles in seven years while developing international players. He confirms his performance is measured by KPIs across high performance, commercial, and community participation areas. A surprising claim is that seven months was a sufficient timeframe to judge the coach's progress, despite the recent contract extension. Germon asserts that developing players and winning titles are not mutually exclusive goals. He admits the perception that coaches are the first to be blamed in Australian cricket is fair, but states accountability extends to him, and the decision will be judged as his own. The future coaching role for the Blues and Sydney Sixers may not be a shared position like Shipperd's. The tone is a direct, professional interview where a sports administrator defends a significant personnel decision. The style is conversational but focused, with the host asking pointed follow-up questions about accountability and timing. Listeners interested in cricket administration, high-performance strategy, and organizational leadership will find this insightful. Fans primarily seeking match analysis or light entertainment might find the managerial focus less engaging.

As heard by us

A direct cricket governance interview that keeps the focus on why the decision was made and how it sits beside the push for titles.

This interview stays with the awkward question at its core: why a coaching contract was extended seven months ago and then ended five days ago.

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Why you'd press play

You want the reasoning behind Cricket New South Wales ending Greg Shippert's deal just seven months after extending it.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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