TRENT Copeland's 100th first class match for New South Wales certainly didn't start the way he would have hoped, but that did nothing to alter the pride he has in wearing the baggy blue.
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On Sunday morning after Copeland was acknowledged for reaching his special milestone, he then watched on as his Blues endured one of the toughest days in their Sheffield Shield history.
They were rolled by Tasmania for just 64 runs - the third lowest score in the Blues' history - at Adelaide's Gladys Elphick Park.
While it put NSW, who in response dismissed the Tigers for 239 in their first innings, under pressure it's not the first time Copeland and his team-mates have been in a tough position.
Since making his first class debut on January 29, 2010, the Bathurst seamer has endured tough days and relished plenty of good ones too. And all of those days Copeland was proud to be representing his state.
"Honestly, I just bloody love playing in the baggy blue," he said.
"I'm passionate about it, I'm sure everyone knows that, but I really, genuinely care about the 10 team-mates that walk on the park with me as people, but also trying to get that win for our state."
Copeland, who is now 34, enjoyed one of his finest days in the baggy blue last week when taking 5-17 to help New South Wales beat Queensland and post its first win of the shield season.
At one stage he bowled 66 consecutive dots balls and his figures stood at 5-6 off 14 overs.
Impressively amongst his victims were four men who had played Test cricket for Australia in Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja and Matthew Renshaw.
"A lot of the time you have a good five, maybe seven-over spell on day when everything goes perfectly and you might take one or two wickets, but that was a rare day where everything went right," he said.
"It was the whole day, it was every spell, every ball.
"In the context of the game the wicket had got pretty flat, it wasn't doing a lot for the seamers, it was a really special part of that game to help us go on and win.
"All of that together was a pretty special little moment in my career."
While it was clear that Copeland was on for something special that day, he said at the time he was simply focusing on making each delivery the best it could be.
It was a method that clearly worked as the Rugby Union Cricket Club graduate took the 21st five-wicket of his first class career.
"You get so, or certainly I, get so caught up in one-on-one contests. Plans are certainly in the back of your mind, what you are trying to execute, going into the slips next to Peter Nevill and Kurtis Patterson when I'm not bowling between overs," he said.
"There's a little bit of chatter about how the game is transpiring, but it's more I'm just emotionally invested.
"Anyone who has watched me play, I'm a quite even keeled person off the field, but I get so emotionally invested in cricket, particularly when I'm bowling. It's trying to get the best out of myself with each new ball."
His efforts that match - he also took 2-44 in the first innings - lifted Copeland to seventh on the list of all-time first class wicket takers for New South Wales.
It's not a milestone he set out to reach, but he was proud all the same.
"It's an incredible honour and in Sheffield Shield wickets I think it's fourth just behind Stuart MacGill, Mo [Greg] Matthews and Henry [Geoff] Lawson, who was our bowling coach for so long," Copeland said.
"I got a lovely message from Stuart MacGill the night of the win, after that spell, and I find it hard to put into words actually, having someone like Stu reach out and talk about the significance of what I'm doing and the person I am.
"It's quite humbling and I think when I finish my career I'll be able to sit back and let that actually sink in."
While Copeland's effort that match was special, he thinks the form of one of his fellow Blues - Sean Abbott - is something national selectors should pay attention to.
Abbott was player of the match in the drawn fixture against Western Australia as he hit an unbeaten 60 and took 6-89 off 32.5 overs.
In the one-wicket win against Queensland he took four wickets for the match and after 66 in the first innings, his unbeaten 18 in the second dig helped the Blues get home.
"I've got no doubt he's ready to be in that Test hub this year if that was to come his way," Copeland said.
"It's been really impressive to watch him go about his business, with bat and ball, and the hard work that he's put into his batting is paying off.
"It's a real value-add to be a guy that can play in the Test team and can bat seven or eight when we want to go with a certain balance.
"It means then that you're not a direct comparison to Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood or Mitch Starc. It really is a value-add in terms of selection.
"His bowling, as a cricket nuffy myself and guy who's in into planning and execution, his ability to go from over to around the wicket and be exactly on the money, not take a ball to get used to that angle, working on different bowling plans, going bumpers around the wicket, he really has become a very well-rounded bowler.
"He's got good pace and he stands the seam up perfectly, so he's as ready as anyone else in the country to step up if needs be.
"I think the bowling stocks are as deep as they have ever been, it's great to see all-rounders like Moises Henriques, Cameron Green, Sean Abbott and numerous others sticking their hand up."
