Teague Wyllie believes he is a better player now than he was when he first burst onto the scene as a teenager despite recently losing his Western Australia contract.
Wyllie, a two-time Sheffield Shield winner with WA, relocated to Hobart on Sunday after signing a one-year deal with Tasmania in a move he hopes will reinvigorate his career.
The now 22-year-old confirmed he had three-year deal on the table from his home state around Christmas last year, which he elected not to sign at the time as he weighed up what was best for his future.
“I was very honest and transparent,” Wyllie told reporters in Hobart today. “I said, ‘I really appreciate the offer and the faith in offering a multi-year deal, but I’ve played four games of cricket in the past two years, and I don’t know who the coach is next year, so I just want to keep my options open.'”
Wyllie broke back into WA’s Shield team for two games in February, while his white-ball form was also strong, averaging 98 from two innings after making his domestic one-day debut last October.
When long-time assistant Beau Casson was appointed the state’s new head coach in March, replacing Adam Voges who stepped down to pursue T20 coaching opportunities overseas, Wyllie was ready to recommit his future to WA.
But by that stage, WA, having earlier pulled their three-year offer, had to absorb Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris returning to their books after they lost their Cricket Australia contracts, with Wyllie shocked to find out there was no longer a spot for him.
Tasmania were initially one of the leading contenders when Wyllie was exploring his options, and fortunately, still had space on their list despite being told late in the contracting window by WA that he was no longer required.
Wyllie said a conversation with Tigers coach Jeff Vaughan the day after they found out he was available sealed the move.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play with guys like Jake Doran, Tim Ward, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen and Iain Carlisle, so I’ve got a really good relationship with a few members of the playing group, which also made it a very easy decision,” he said.
“As soon as I found out that I was being let go by WA, I messaged Jake Doran, which helped put me in contact with the right people to get the ball rolling, and from there it was a pretty smooth process to be able to join the Tigers.
“I feel like coming to Tasmania is a place where I’ll be able to grow as a person and a player and hopefully flourish.”
Wyllie, who was Australia’s top scorer at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup (278 runs at 69.50), was 17 when he made his first-class debut in March that same year and became the youngest batter since Ricky Ponting to score a Sheffield Shield century in the opening round of the following season.
The right-hander played 19 of his 24 first-class matches, including two for Australia A, as a teenager but only five since turning 20, falling behind fellow young batters Cooper Connolly, Jayden Goodwin and Sam Fanning after he won his second Shield title in 2022-23.
“Between 17 and 19, I was probably picked for longer than I should have been at that age,” he said.
“I wish the opportunities were flipped around and I had those (five) games between 17 and 19 and then the opportunity came when I was a better player, as I’ve gotten older.
“It’s been tough sitting on the sidelines a little bit the past couple years.
“For me, the challenge is to make sure that when I get that opportunity that I make it impossible not to be selected for the next game.
“My career average in second XI is 78; I’ve got an average of 52 in first-grade cricket, and I got an opportunity in one-day cricket last season for WA and did pretty well.
“Even in a CA XI game I managed to get runs (scoring 71 and 20 not out against England Lions in November), so I don’t think it’s a case of being out of form, I just feel like I haven’t quite nailed the chances that I’ve got in the last little period.
“But that doesn’t mean that I’m a better player three or four years ago when I was playing (than I am now).
“I feel like my game has trended in the right direction, and I’ve worked on the on the right things, I just haven’t quite nailed it when I’ve had opportunities at Shield level.”
With Test opener Jake Weatherald returning to South Australia next season and batters Charlie Wakim and Mac Wright losing their state contracts, Wyllie has a chance to break into both Tasmania’s red- and white-ball sides at the start of the 2026-27 summer.
He arrives in Tasmania having already enjoyed success at their home ground, Bellerive Oval, scoring 80 in a Shield match in 2023 and 56 in his one-day debut last year.
And having batted everywhere in the top six in his first-class career to date, Wyllie believes his game is set up to take any opportunity that comes his way.
“I’m hoping that those opportunities come and I prove WA wrong,” he said.
“WA Cricket, everything they’ve done for me over the years, I’m very grateful, and the memories and friendships I’ve made will stick with me.
“I’ve got no doubt that at my best I can compete against anyone in the world.
“The challenge has been consistently getting to that point, which I haven’t quite got to over the last little period at WA.
“Looking at my record in grade cricket, my record in second XI and even in one-day cricket last season, I’ve made runs consistently at every level except Shield.
“So if I speak to the right people and have a good group around me, I’ve got no doubt that I’ll be able to crack that and do it consistently for a long period.”
