With the incentive of hosting the Sheffield Shield final in front of them, stand-in NSW captain Kurtis Patterson is adamant the Blues moved on quickly from the disaster in Tasmania, where they were bowled out for 32.
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NSW take on Queensland in a match starting on Saturday at North Dalton Park, which will define their campaign.
An outright win would ensure top spot, a draw or loss could see them miss out completely, with Western Australia needing to beat Tasmania in Perth to keep their hopes alive.
Following the Hobart humiliation, NSW turned to youth, naming a 12-man squad which includes wicketkeepers Matthew Gilkes and Baxter Holt, as well as 20-year-old batsman Lachlan Hearne, who could make his Shield debut.
Nick Larkin and Daniel Solway were axed after the Blues were belted by Tasmania, while Sean Abbott will miss the match as he recovers from a hand injury.
Patterson has stepped into the NSW leadership role for the second time, replacing Peter Nevill, who is awaiting the birth of his second child.
In a must-win scenario, Patterson is confident the Blues will take the fight to a star-studded Queensland team.
"We were certainly quite honest with each other after the match, which I thought was fantastic," Patterson said.
"I've been in some change rooms where you don't really address those kind of innings and you move on a little bit too quickly.
"But I thought the way Pete Nevill and (coach) Phil Jacques handled it post-game was really professional and really honest with the playing group.
"Certainly once we got on that flight back from Hobart, we knew there a big job to do, there's hasn't been any more reflection on it."
Patterson said NSW would need to absorb pressure better than they did in the conditions which allowed Peter Siddle and Jackson Bird to blast their way through the order.
He was quick to take the pressure off the young players in the NSW squad, with the final 11 to be finalised on Saturday morning.
"It'll be pretty simple messaging to be honest, from my point of view and the coaches' point of view," he said.
"We're not picking anyone to do something that they haven't before.
"I know from experience that sometimes there's a feeling that comes from within that you need to something different or be someone else, because you're playing at a higher level now.
"But it will be a pretty simple message from me, we've picked you all for a reason, we've picked you all for what we've needed you to do and we don't need any more from you for this game."
Patterson does though, have the Test experience of left-arm spearhead Mitchell Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon to rely on, against the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns.
"I'm a pretty big believe that bowlers win you games," Patterson said.
"We've got a fantastic bowling attack, we've had a fantastic attack all season."
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
