“Don’t fuck it up” were the last words Melbourne Renegades players read before heading out onto the MCG for their WBBL final. Normally, such advice could be counterintuitive, but coming from a beloved teammate it helped inspire a drought-breaking triumph.
Written off at the start of the season after finishing bottom in 2023-24, the Renegades became champions in fairytale fashion on Sunday. They were playing for a higher purpose than just cricket.
Josie Dooley didn’t play a game during the tournament. The talented batter suffered a stroke while on holiday in Hawaii in April, resulting in a long hospital stay.
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Dooley remains in recovery, with the hope of one day returning to play cricket, but Renegades coach Simon Helmot made sure the 24-year-old was still part of the group during their run to the title.
Her shirt was hung up in the rooms at the MCG, with Dooley writing the message “don’t fuck it up” on it.
Helmot, who coached the men’s Renegades back in the first BBL in 2011-12, became emotional when speaking about Dooley’s impact.
“She came to all the important games, came to our Junction [Oval] games, came to Allan Border Field,” Helmot said. “I said, ‘Josie’, we need you here for the team meeting [on Saturday before the final]. And she turns up, and there’s a shirt in the rooms which has a message from Josie.
“Cricket, there’s stuff about it, it’s more than just the game. It’s about people and their trials and tribulations. It’s difficult. Our general manager, James Rosengarten, had quite a difficult year with some family stuff, too.”
Renegades captain Sophie Molineux described Dooley as the “heart and soul” of the team.
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“She’s just everything that the Renegades are about, it’s Josie to a tee,” she said. “She’s so inspirational, not just to us that know her, but to anyone that knows her story.
“For her to be as involved as much as she could be this season for us, just to have her presence and being around, she’s just as much a part of this season as any other season she’s been around.”