The Blues clinched the 2013-14 edition of the title thanks to a dominant draw with Western Australia at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.

This time last season, Copeland finished his state commitments with NSW, helped his St George team to a win in the Sydney first grade competition, and promptly hopped on a plane to England.

There he spent most of the season with Northamptonshire as they took out the division two County competition and earned a long-awaited promotion to the first division.

Issues surrounding his eligibility to return once more as an import mean that he won’t be reprising that role in 2014.

Instead, his focus will shift to the sporting exploits of his significant other.

“For the time being now I’ll be taking some time off and just trying to look after the body and get it ready for next season,” the durable bowling all-rounder said.

“My wife [Kim Green] has her netball commitments with the NSW Swifts and hopefully the Australian team as well.

“She will be looking to get a spot with the Diamonds. It’s a big year for them with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, so I’d love to see her make that team and go over there and watch her hopefully win a gold medal.”

There would be some nice symmetry to such a scenario, given that Green’s mum Denyse won four gold medals in Scotland at the 1970 Edinburgh Games.

The Shield victory caps off what has been a truly amazing decade on the field for the former Rugby Union junior, who left Bathurst as a wicketkeeper-batsman and turned into a Test new-ball bowler.

Since leaving his home town, he has accumulated seven Sydney Grade Cricket titles, including three in first grade, three more in the Poidevin Gray Shield and another in thirds. 

He claimed the Bill O’Reilly Medal in 2009-10 as the first grade competition’s best and fairest and has a Richie Benaud Medal as man of the match in a first grade decider.

After being the 716th player to represent NSW in first class cricket, he won a Test cap in Sri Lanka as the 420th player to pull on the baggy green, and came away with a series in in the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy.

Having won the second division County title last year, the Shield win gives Copeland one of the most enviable collections of silverware any cricketer could want.

And that’s without even considering his two NSW Player of the Year awards for his Shield efforts, and a Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.

Whether that leads to an international return in the future remains to be seen, though he is certain that one of his club and state team-mates won’t be far from the Test radar after his magnificant Shield final performance.

“Josh Hazlewood bowled beautifully, he has done all season,” Copeland said.

“He just keeps hitting that seam ball after ball. He’s tall and quick, he has all the attributes and asks some serious questions of the batsman every time he gets to the crease.

“He will play a lot of cricket for Australia and it is very important for us as a NSW team that we make the most of these guys while they’re around and available. 

“The same goes for Steve Smith, who came back into the side and hit a century in the final.”