Perth, Dec 12
New Melbourne Stars captain Marcus Stoinis is ready to bring a fresh approach to the BBL franchise, which has faced years of near misses and lean seasons. Reflecting on the team's history of falling just short in pursuit of the title, Stoinis believes an obsessive focus on the elusive championship derailed the team's success during key campaigns.
Speaking at Junction Oval ahead of the season opener, Stoinis, a long-time Stars stalwart, admitted the franchise lost sight of its achievements in its desperation to secure a trophy.
"Us not winning the years where we were in the finals or around the finals and super competitive every year - we might have got too obsessed with the fact that we weren't winning the final and forgot how much we were doing well," Stoinis was quoted as saying by Nine's Wide World of Sports. "We probably tried to change too much ... in the chase of a title."
Stars, one of only two teams yet to win a BBL championship alongside the Hobart Hurricanes, have come agonisingly close on multiple occasions. They finished as runners-up in 2015-16, 2018-19, and 2019-20, with the latter season seeing them fall short at the final hurdle against Sydney Sixers.
Stoinis, 35, takes over the captaincy from Glenn Maxwell, shouldering what he calls a "responsibility" to steer the team back into contention. "We are overdue some success," he said. "I've been here a long time, and we've been through some transitions. From being super successful, even though not winning it, to having a few lean years.
"It's nice to have the responsibility to work with the Stars, who I've been with for so many years."
Stars endured tough seasons recently, finishing last in 2021-22 and outside the finals in 2022-23. However, the all-rounder remains optimistic about a turnaround under new leadership.
"We've got a relatively new coach and me as a new captain - I think it's going to be exciting," he said. "We've got a good squad, good overseas players, and we've got some good replacements in as well."
As captain, Stoinis plans to bring his unique style to the role while acknowledging Maxwell's contributions during his tenure. "Maxy did a great job for quite a while there," Stoinis said. "It's nice, I think, to take the reins off him and give him some space as well.
"I think (I'll lead) more by the book than Maxy, but I'll still go rogue every now and then."
Melbourne Stars will open their BBL campaign against the Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium on Sunday night.