Kurtis Patterson admits he questioned whether he had played his last first-class match before coming up just short of a century on return to the Sheffield Shield with NSW.
The former Test batter's comeback was followed by ominous signs from Josh Hazlewood, who bowled his first red-ball overs of the season as Queensland posted 0-36 in reply to the Blues' 239 on day one.
Patterson (91 runs from 162 balls) had begun the summer playing grade cricket for St George after form concerns cost him the NSW captaincy and pushed him to the fringes of the Blues set-up over the past 18 months.
"I probably haven't said it publicly but I think I needed to be dropped when I was last year because frankly, I wasn't batting well enough," Patterson said at stumps at Cricket Central on Friday.
But Australia A absences, and Steve Smith's decision to rest before the Test summer, made room for Patterson to return for just his second Shield match in a year.
"That stuff, selection-wise, is totally out of your control," Patterson said.
"I'd be lying if I said that thought never crossed my mind, whether I'd get another go back here. But thankfully I've kind of ticked all the boxes with St George and got my opportunity."
Patterson came to the crease after NSW elected to bat but stammered to 2-12 inside two overs.
Teammates fell around Patterson as the Blues struggled to 5-59 inside the first session, before the 31-year-old partnered with Jack Edwards on a rescue mission.
Patterson hit Queensland captain Mitch Swepson to mid-on to bring up his half-century early in the second session, before allrounder Edwards did the same off Benji Floros from only 77 deliveries.
After a slower start, Patterson picked up his pace en route to the nervous nineties before edging Angus Lovell to wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.
Patterson cut a frustrated figure as he left the crease, as did Edwards (88 off 154) when he was ruled to have clipped Swepson to the gloveman.
Still, Patterson's score was his highest in first-class cricket since October 2022.
"It's a good start today but I'm certainly not satisfied and would like to be able to keep putting big scores on the board," Patterson said.
Out of favour for the Test vacancy, Matthew Renshaw was made to weather an early Hazlewood onslaught after Queensland made it to the crease late in the day.
NSW appealed twice as Test paceman Hazlewood opened the bowling with a maiden over.
Only a Tanveer Sangha misfield prevented him from going through his second over without conceding.
Hazlewood posted 0-13 from five overs on the first day of his only red-ball game before the Test series against India begins on November 22.
Renshaw (14) and Usman Khawaja (19) will resume on day two.
Swepson was confident Renshaw still had the chance to mount his own case for the Test top order vacancy after underwhelming showings from other hopefuls playing for Australia A this week.
"Rennie would love to be in the conversation as he was at the start of the summer," Swepson said.
"Like has been mentioned, he scores runs in the next few games and he's straight back in contention. He knows that."
