Victoria have a lot of "unfashionable" cricketers who play for them. Guys like Lewis, Harwood, Jewell, Hussey, Arnberger, Moss all came through the back door, rather than being anointed the whole way through their junior career like a Hussey, Clarke, Henriques. Hence, they have to do more to prove their worth.
Elliott was probably the perfect example of a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hodge is a bit the same. He was in a way fairly fortunate to get his first game, but was very very stiff to be dropped once he was in.
There's a theory that goes around in Victorian cricket - don't get hit on the pads with a WA or QLD umpire, or a Victorian one. They'll all give you out. A few people in the heirarchy at Cricket Victoria feel that the Victorian people involved in the national set-up try too hard to be unbiased, or that those who are there have a chip on their shoulder from how they finished their career.
chaminda_00 said:
The fact that a useless bowler like Harwood
Ask a state player about Harwood - no-one likes facing him. As quick a bouncer going around, and executes well at the death. And he's never actually played for Australia, except in Twenty20.
The other thing that has to be taken into account is that there will always be natural bias. If you see a lot more of a player, like you probably will if you're from the same state as them, then you will see more of what they are capable of, and have more faith in their ability to succeed at the next level. I think a lot more of that happens, rather than people trying to push through guys from their own state in a concerted effort.