By sports editor Russell Bennett
For most, the phrase ‘one week at a time’ is just a cliché.
But for Mitch Davey, it’s so much more than that.
The Kooweerup cricketing prodigy has no real alternative than to live his career in the moment and make the most of every chance he gets.
Still only just 18, the 6’7” lefty all-rounder has battled more injury issues than most youngsters his age could imagine.
From stress fractures, to soft tissue injuries – he’s experienced the lot.
But through all that, his undeniable talent has still shone through.
Davey is entrenched in the Victorian state pathway system, and has also linked up with Premier Cricket outfit, St Kilda.
But it’s his latest accolade that truly explains the upward trajectory the big-hitting paceman is on.
He’s signed a development rookie deal with reigning Big Bash champions, the Melbourne Renegades, which he hopes is a precursor to one day signing a rookie contract with the Victorian Cricket Team.
It’s a far cry from when he was battling multiple stress fractures in his back, persistent hamstring troubles, and even a bout with Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD), which is a painful inflammation of the patellar ligaments and is directly related to sudden growth spurts.
In fact, most of his injury battles have had a direct correlation with his size.
He’s struggled to get on to the field in recent years, and bowled less than a handful of overs in club cricket last season.
Still, even that pales into insignificance compared to the time his knees hurt so much he could barely walk.
But he recently got a real dose of perspective – a reminder of his love of the game – when he played alongside his father, Kooweerup Cricket Club legend and current president Matt, in a premiership for the first time.
It was as part of the Demons’ Mid Year Cricket Association premiership side, and Davey’s involvement wasn’t just ticked off by his coaches in the Victorian pathway. It was encouraged.
“I spoke to the futures league coach in the Victorian set-up and he just told me to go for it,” he explained.
“Just being out in the middle marking centre in winter is a tick for me, in itself.
“I just wanted to get out there and play cricket, so it good to be out in the middle and playing in a game scenario instead of being in the indoor nets all winter.
“That’s held me in pretty good stead, going into the season with that behind me.
“It was great getting back to having fun with some of the boys I’ve watched growing up at the club. I’ve been around them all my life, so it was good to get out there and play with them again.
“These are guys I’ve learned off from a young age and I aspired to be just like them at the start of my career.
“I used to go down and train with them, even if I wasn’t playing. I always just wanted to be involved.
“It just makes cricket fun again, when you’re back at local level having a good time.
“I got to bat with the old man for a fair while during the grand final too, which was nice.”
Davey admits he’s not a great watcher of cricket – whatever the level. The frustration of not being out there instead takes hold.
So he knows that he has to do whatever he can to stay on the park for longer.
“When I did my first stress fracture I was only 15 or 16 but then over the years since I’ve picked up more injuries I’ve sort of become more strict on the rehab side of things,” he explained.
“I realise what I need to be doing to stay on the park now, so I’ve adapted to that side of things. As a young kid, you don’t take that part of it seriously.”
In many people’s eyes, Mitch is still that “young kid”.
But he’s done a lot of growing up in recent years – and not just physically.
He’s now living in Malvern East – along with four other elite cricketers; Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck, Rhiann O’Donnell, and his girlfriend Nicole Faltum.
Living with four ladies has been an eye-opener, by his own admission, but the apprentice landscaper is loving life and trying to make every post a winner.
Davey injured his hamstring on tour at the under-19 nationals in Adelaide in December, and has suffered multiple recurrences since.
But, again, it’s only served to help him appreciate the game he loves even more.
“Obviously it’s really frustrating,” he acknowledged, in regards to his physical battles.
“You see all your peers at training, but you can’t train, yourself, so you feel like people are going past you a little bit.
“It gets pretty frustrating sometimes – particularly spending so much time doing rehab only to get injured again, but it’s all part of the journey.”
At the moment, Mitch refuses to look too far down the track in his journey.
“The aim right now is just to get through a full pre-season and tick that off,” he said.
“I’ve never even done a full pre-season, so hopefully I can get through that and get to Round 1 and look forward from there. I don’t want to look too far ahead – I’m just happy to be training fully during the pre-season, for a start.”
But he admits there’ll come a time when he wants to repay the faith shown in him by the likes of the Renegades, and the Junction Oval-based Victorian Premier side.
For Mitch, that time can’t come soon enough.
“Hopefully I can start to get some results on the board now and have some form behind me for people to judge by, instead of just the potential,” he said.
“I really want to build relationships with them moving forward and hopefully be in their systems for a few years. Training with world class cricketers will hopefully benefit me for years to come and I want to be able to repay them in the future too.
“Obviously it’s a huge season coming up, and in the next few seasons – if all goes to plan – I can get a state rookie contract, which is pretty much a full-time cricket career. That’s a big goal for me looking forward, but I just don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. I just want to keep going with where I’m at right now.”
Davey has been consistently selected in regional, state and national pathways sides over the years, and his form – when fit – explains why.
He scored a swashbuckling 77 not out from just 47 deliveries for the Vics against Western Australia at the nationals in December.
Though his left-arm pace bowling has keen observers on notice, it’s with his batting that he originally made his name – and his is a name well worth remembering.
