The Cricket Mentoring Podcast · Cricket Mentoring

Liam Blackford: "You Could Lose Your Arm" - Staying Positive Through Major Adversity

·45 min·2 clips

Doctors told Liam the mass could be a tumour and he might lose his arm.

He starts by looking back at a rough patch where cricket was not going the way he wanted. A string of low scores, plus the pressure of being much younger than the players around him, made the moment feel bigger than a normal lean run. He says he was also putting pressure on himself. At the same time, cricket had come to a standstill while he waited for surgery. The episode spends time on that pause and the feeling of being stuck while everything else kept moving. He talks about trying to remember that he was there for a reason, even when the runs were not coming. A conversation with Buck becomes an important part of the story. That support helped ease his mind, and when a few runs finally came, his confidence started to lift again. The discussion then turns to the practical side of his teenage cricket. He describes a schedule built around constant batting work. When he was younger, he was hitting with his dad and spending time in the warehouse on the bowling machine. He also worked with a private coach, Glenn Ward, in Geelong and hit with him at least once a week. As he got older, more pathway opportunities opened up. He would head to the Junction or the MCG for training. Before carnivals, he was usually training twice a week up in Melbourne. Most weeks were full on. He says he was hitting most days, with only the odd day off or something else to keep a bit of balance. The episode also touches on the challenge of playing with people from different states. At first, nobody knew each other especially well. Even so, those trips helped build friendships that he still keeps in touch with now. The conversation keeps circling back to the idea that setbacks can shape a cricketer's outlook. It shows how support, repetition, and routine can steady a young player through a difficult stretch. The closing stretch looks ahead to getting back on the park and to the possibility of pushing into the Victorian side, Shield cricket, and beyond. By the end, the episode has turned a hard period into something practical, reflective, and useful.

As heard by us

A grounded listen about low scores, injury, and the grind of junior cricket.

The story follows a young cricketer trying to stay steady through low scores, the pressure of being younger than the rest, and the long wait for surgery.

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Why you'd press play

You want a calm cricket chat about injury, form slumps, and backing yourself.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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