INJURED Bathurst bowler Trent Copeland says the state’s medical and support staff are being “aggressive” in plotting his recovery from a back stress fracture so he can contribute to the state’s defence of their Sheffield Shield title.
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The Blues return to the Shield competition in fourth position, and Copeland, who represented Australia in three Tests against Sri Lanka in 2011, said it would be a relief to finally mark out his run-up and bowl.
“The regulation recovery time for a stress fracture is 16 weeks, and as of Friday I’m 14 weeks into that recovery,” he said.
“We’re trying to be aggressive with it; trying to bowl prior to that date because of my body’s maturity.
“There’s enough evidence to suggest we can try to get it right for the first couple of games. I’m hoping it progresses that way, whether it’s against Tasmania [starting on March 5] or after, we’ll have to wait and see.
“Watching your team-mates do well is fantastic, but not being out there and contributing is a terrible feeling. I’ve never had to deal with a big layoff due to injury so it’s been difficult not being a part of the dressing room.
“I’m sure that’s normal for anyone who has been injured. It’s been a mental challenge as much as anything.”
While Copeland dabbled in radio commentary and television appearances during his recovery, he worked on his batting and he opened for St George against Sydney at Drumm-oyne Oval in Saturday’s one-dayer.
His extra attention with the willow clearly worked as he hit 87 in his team’s 64-run win.
The 28-year-old, who scored a first-class century against Tasmania in 2013, wanted the extra hours he’d spent batting to add to his worth for the Blues.
“I’ve been batting at number four and five for St George,” said Copeland, who started out as a keeper-batsman.
“I don’t want to just ‘bat’, I want to be a reliable batsman who scores runs, and if I want to talk about batting at number seven or eight for NSW, which I did a year or two ago, [runs] need to be more regular.”
Copeland said he’d rejected the recent suggestion by his wife, Australian netball star Kimberlee Green, to frame the baggy green cap he wore during his Test matches in Sri Lanka in 2011.
“People have such short memories in cricket, current form is the key,” he said of his ambition to play Tests again.
“I’m only 28, I have a lot left in me.”
