‘Won’t split us’: Milestone man Kurtis Patterson backs Blues to come together after shock call to axe coach Greg Shipperd

Milestone man Kurtis Patterson says it’s been a “tough week” for the Blues following Cricket NSW’s decision to sack coach Greg Shipperd, but the veteran batter is adamant it won’t “split us” ahead of his 100th Sheffield Shield game. Patterson will become just the sixth man to join the exclusive club for the Blues when they host South Australia on Thursday, but the occasion has been somewhat overshadowed by last week’s bombshell call to axe the coach. Shipperd will no longer coach the Sydney Sixers in the BBL after a decade in the role, but he will see out the remainder of the Shield season, with NSW still in the mix for the final. “It’s been a bit of a tough week for all of us,” Patterson said at the SCG on Wednesday. “Shield cricket is difficult, and it’s another curveball that we’ve got to deal with it. “I’m really feeling for Greg, but to his credit – as everyone would expect – he’s taking it like the legend that he is. “Yesterday was (a bit weird) and there were a few blokes who were a bit unsure how it would go, but we just knuckled down, got straight into it and we’ll do our best to try and win this game against South Australia. “I think (it can galvanise us). Everyone has their own motivations and whatnot, but I certainly think it’s something that will bring the group together. It won’t split us. “It is professional sport, and no one is safe in their job forever. That’s the nature of the beast. ‘Shippy’ has taken it really well, and out of respect for him, we all need to knuckle down and get on with our jobs.” Shipperd returned to the Blues in an interim capacity in late 2022 when the team was at its lowest point and was then made the full-time coach a few months later. He’s been able to blood several emerging stars with all of his Test players unavailable for large chunks of the season, with Patterson crediting him for saving the Blues. “We were struggling there for a while and I think we lost a bit of our identity, lost the idea of how to win and how to structure cricket to set yourself up to win,” he said. “There’s no doubt that Shippy was the right man for the job when he came in. He’s got so much experience, and that counts for something. “He’s certainly turned us around. We’ve been competitive (since he took over) by making a couple of one-day finals and being really competitive in Shield cricket without being as consistent as what we would have liked. “This is a nice opportunity to change that around, and that starts this week.” The distraction won’t spoil Patterson’s milestone match at his beloved home ground where he became the youngest player to score a first-class hundred in Australia when he belted 157 as an 18-year-old back in 2011. He has gone on to play two Tests and been a mainstay in the NSW side on the back of that monumental innings. “It was life-changing, and I don’t say that lightly. That innings was life-changing for me,” he said. “I signed a long-term deal after that and was able to find my feet as a cricketer, which a lot of young guys probably aren’t afforded that luxury. “I used to ride the highs and lows a lot more than I do now. It’s a difficult game – and I appreciate that part of it – but I’m certainly a lot calmer than I was back then. I’ve got a wife and two kids now, and life looks a lot different than it was when I was 18. “The one constant has been my love for this place and the appreciation of this place because it’s given me my whole adult life to this point.”