Western Australia batsman Shaun Marsh is determined to repay his team for a disappointing domestic season last year that saw him too 'distracted' by thoughts of national selection.
Warriors skipper and Australia batsman Marcus North may have stolen the limelight on the opening day of WA's Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland – his unbeaten 103 helping the Warriors to 4-274 at stumps.
But it seemed Marsh was making a bigger statement, as his disciplined 70 from 194 balls laid the platform for North to plunder an inexperienced Bulls attack later in the day.
Although Marsh missed some of last year's domestic season after badly injuring his hamstring playing for Australia in February, his form up to then had been patchy.
Indeed, he scored just 167 runs at 23.86 for the Warriors in the four-day competition, with his average greatly helped by an unbeaten 74 in the first Shield game of last summer.
Those sort of figures saw Marsh held partly accountable for a brittle Western Australia top order that struggled to impose itself on a contest, the Warriors subsequently slumping to finish second-last in all competitions last season.
But the 26-year-old said that grinding out an innings on the first day this season, rather than trying to dazzle opposition bowlers with the full array of shots, was indicative of a revitalised commitment to his state team.
"I forgot who I was playing for out there," was Marsh's candid admission on Tuesday night.
"I got called into the Test team to go to India (in October 2008) and I came back and that was my sole focus, to try and get into that Test team."
"So this year, it's all about playing for my team-mates, for WA and making sure that I leave no stone unturned and don't get too far ahead of myself."
"As soon as you start thinking of other things, you just lose concentration and (lose) what you're trying to do for WA and that's the most important thing."
Starting from No.3 behind openers Wes Robinson and Luke Towers, Marsh only started playing his shots late in a 119-run partnership with his captain, the batsman crediting moving down the order as helping him focus on the job at hand.
It was a rare lapse in concentration late in the day that saw him get into a tangle facing Lee Carseldine, sending an inside edge onto his stumps.
Regardless of the dismissal when a century was in his sights, this was a day of positives for Marsh as he put his hamstring through its paces for the first time since badly tearing it for the first time last February.
And, the fact it survived unscathed was another good omen ahead of travelling to India with Australia's one-day international touring party next week.
"To get out there today and run a few quick singles and feel that the leg is really good (was fantastic)," Marsh said.
"I've put a lot of hard effort in the last six months to make sure it doesn't happen again, so touch wood it doesn't and I can just continue on with my career now."