Johnston and big-hitting left-hander Maddinson are the South Coast connection spearheading the Blues charge next season, including a Sheffield Shield match in Wollongong in February, announced on Tuesday.

Maddinson missed out on Australia A selection for the match in Brisbane against South Africa A. Instead his swashbuckling style will be on show at the Caribbean Premier League. 

However, after captaining NSW last year and winning their player of the 2014-15 season award, Maddinson still has a Test and one-day international future, Johnston said. “He’s 24, he’s still got 10 years of first-class cricket to prove that he’s an international cricketer,” Johnston, a Dapto junior, said. “I believe that he’s an international cricketer and so does he and a lot of people around Cricket Australia. 

“So it’s about him getting out and scoring the runs on the park.” The Shoalhaven Heads and Warilla junior has scored 3417 first class runs at an average of 37.14, showing increasing maturity with a match-winning innings against Queensland and also batting with a broken thumb last season.

NSW will play Tasmania at North Dalton Park, starting on February 25, a crucial match in the chase for a Sheffield Shield final place. 

Johnston also backed another Warilla junior Adam Zampa, also currently in the Caribbean, to be a world-class force with the white ball. “He’s been outstanding, he’s only getting better and better,” Johnston said.

“To have two local boys in a world tournament is a great thing for Illawarra and South Coast cricket.” Johnston admitted it will be a special occasion to return to Wollongong for Shield match. 

“I’m very proud, being a local junior,” he said.

“I played a lot of junior cricket a couple of hundred metres away with Dapto, since I was seven. 

“So to bring NSW here to play Tasmania here is a huge honour.”