Master coach Greg Shipperd will part ways with New South Wales at the end of the season while his time in charge of the Sydney Sixers is over.
Shipperd led the Sixers for the past 11 seasons, first earning the gig ahead of BBL|05, winning two titles along the way.
He guided them to the final again this summer, but fell short in the decider for the fourth time under his leadership.
The veteran mentor was brought in as the interim coach for the Blues in November 2022 when Phil Jaques was moved on, and has stayed at the helm for the past three summers.
After six rounds of this summer’s Sheffield Shield, NSW sit in fourth place with a spot in the final still a possibility, sitting only a few points shy of Queensland in second.
Shipperd will continue to coach the Blues in both four-day and one-day cricket for the rest of the season.
But despite being contracted until the end of next summer, Cricket NSW are now seeking a fresh direction for both the Blues and the Sixers for the 2026-27 season.
“No decision has been made on whether both positions will be held by the same coach or separated,” a Cricket NSW statement said.
“This has been a hard decision,” Cricket NSW CEO Lee Germon explained.
“I appreciate and regard Greg highly for what he’s done in our sport and our game, and he’s done a very good job over the last eight to nine years with the Sixes, and three and a half years with the Blues.
“He has stabilised, in particular the Blues, from four or five years ago, where the team was really struggling and couldn’t win a match, to really stabilising the team over the last two and a half seasons into a competitive unit.
“The challenge for me is the expectation that at Cricket NSW, we don’t just compete, but we win titles, and that is in our DNA. That’s what our state has been built on, both in the men’s and the women’s programs.
“The question for me was, what is the decision that I can make, the change that I can make, that I believe would make the biggest difference to moving from competing as a team, in the Blues’ case, to winning titles.
“I decided that the time was right for a change of head coach, both for the Blues and the Sixers.
“The Sixers are slightly different, obviously, being perennial finalists, but haven’t won for five years either, so the same rationale really applied there – the expectation is that we will win, not that we will just compete.”
While lauding the Blues’ competitiveness during Shipperd’s tenure, Germon pointed to the desire for a return to a style of cricket symbolic of NSW teams of the past.
“Part of this is … the way in which we’ve lost matches, the style of play. I believe we’ve gone away over the last 10 to 15 years from a style of playing, a way of playing, that has made NSW so successful over all the years of our existence, and I believe it’s important that we get back to that style of play,” Germon continued.
“I haven’t seen enough of that, so it was really what I’ve seen over the course of the season, not sparked by one loss here or there.”
Shipperd has a proud record in charge of the Sixers, with no side making more finals than the Sixers’ six since he took the reins in 2015.
In a testament to the consistency of his coaching methods, the Sixers have finished the regular season in the top two for the past seven seasons.
But four losses in the decider, plus another three elimination final losses denied Shipperd the chance to further improve his legacy.
“Cricket NSW is such a historical and beautiful beast and it has been an honour and privilege to coach the NSW Blues and Sydney Sixers for such a period,” Shipperd said in a statement.
“With 10 NSW-contracted players, not including the big five Test players, engaged in Australian and Australian A duties, domestic finals still beckoning and more good stories abounding, the future is promising.
“My contract was to conclude at the end of the 2026-27 season and so I’m incredibly disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to honour my commitment and continue to develop the wonderful young players I have been working with.
“I am extremely proud of my coaching team for building the foundation of a new generation and I wish them all success beyond my time here.”
Shipperd’s coaching resume
State cricket head coach
Tasmania: 1991-92 to 2001-02
Victoria: 2003-04 to 2014-15
New South Wales: 2022-23 to 2025-26
Big Bash head coach
Victoria: 2005-06 to 2010-11
Melbourne Stars: 2011-12 to 2014-15
Sydney Sixers: 2015-16 to 2025-26
Trophies
Sheffield Shield titles: Four with Victoria (2003-04, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2014-15)
One-Day Cup titles: One with Victoria (2010-11)
Big Bash titles: Four with Victoria (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10), two with Sydney Sixers (2019-20, 2020-21)
On the state side, the Blues endured a horror fortnight in the Shield in November when they lost by 300 runs to Victoria and an innings and 58 runs to Tasmania.
To their credit, NSW responded in their next match with a big win over an albeit under-strength Queensland side, but the damage had been done.
He took over when the Blues finished last for the first time in 14 years and has had them in the mix for finals every season since, which prompted him to sign a two-year contract extension at the beginning of this season.
Shipperd coached Tasmania for 11 seasons and Victoria for 12, leading the Vics through a golden generation that produced dominant four-day and T20 teams.
Sheffield Shield standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
VIC
6
5
1
0
0
0
5.87
5.3
41.17
2
QLD
6
2
2
2
0
0
8.18
4.2
26.38
3
SA
6
2
2
2
0
0
4.69
5.6
24.29
4
NSW
6
2
3
1
0
0
4.65
4.9
22.55
5
TAS
6
2
3
1
0
2
3.34
5
19.34
6
WA
6
1
3
2
0
0
1.61
5.5
15.11
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
One-Day Cup standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Total points
PTS
1
TAS
5
5
0
0
0
0.954
0
2
22
2
QLD
5
3
2
0
0
0.426
0
1
13
3
NSW
5
2
3
0
0
0.478
0
2
10
4
SA
5
2
3
0
0
-0.593
0
2
10
5
WA
5
2
3
0
0
-0.126
0.5
1
8.5
6
VIC
5
1
4
0
0
-1.166
0
0
4
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
PTS: Total points
