Trent Copeland

A wicketkeeper who didn’t focus seriously on fast-bowling until he was 20, Trent Copeland made an instant impression in first-class cricket in 2010.

He took 10 wickets on Shield debut against Queensland, including 8-92 in the first innings, which was the second-best haul by a player on first-class debut for NSW. 

He finished that season with 35 wickets from just five matches and took a further 45 scalps the following summer to top the wicket-taking charts.

He won the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year Award and earned a Test debut on the 2011 tour of Sri Lanka. 

The tall right-armer took six wickets in three Tests during that series, including Tillakaratne Dilshan with just his second ball, but he was later dropped from the side. 

After helping NSW win the Sheffield Shield in 2013-14, Copeland spent the next 18 months on the sideline because of stress fractures in his back. 

Copeland returned to the Blues side in February 2016, taking an astonishing 26 wickets in just five matches at 21.15 with best figures of 7-58. 

He also played some valuable knocks with the bat, scoring 171 runs at 28.50 batting in the lower-order, and was voted the Blues Sheffield Shield Player of the Year.  

Copeland was recognised as the Blues' Sheffield Shield MVP for 2018-19 after taking 52 wickets at the excellent average of 18.21.

Away from cricket, Copeland is a Fantasy Sports expert and he also follows closely the career of his wife, NSW and Australian netballer Kimberlee Green.