Baggy green a moment to savour
This has been an amazing year for me.
It has been a busy one, but I've been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places, playing a sport that I love.
The year started on a high as I was among the Perth Scorchers group that won the KFC Big Bash League championship, claiming the first piece of silverware for WA cricket in a long time.
A decade, to be precise. WA hadn't held a cricket trophy since the 2004 domestic one-day cup.
It was third time lucky for us and our fans, who had to endure us going through two grand final losses in consecutive years.
Most of that playing group then went on to another highlight for the State and it was a thrill to play in my first Sheffield Shield final.
We have a young group that is starting to really show its potential and hopefully we'll be able to take out some more titles in the coming years.
After an incredibly busy summer last year, I took off on holiday in April with two mates Matt Dixon and Sam Whiteman.
We travelled to America for about a month and it was great to get away and relax but at the same time see as much as we could of the US and forget about cricket. It sounds contradictory, but forgetting about cricket can be important for cricket, as it helps us head into a new season recharged.
At the end of the trip I spent 10 days with my girlfriend Isabelle and her family in Los Angeles, where they live.
It was great to have that time there to wind down and spend some quality time with Isabelle, who, when we first met, thought cricket was croquet. She is now an avid cricket fan and is slowly starting to come to terms with me being away all the time and is a great support for me.
I had a busy winter with the Australia A team and it was a great way to start off the season.
I was at the other end when Sam Whiteman scored his maiden first-class hundred.
That was something we actually joked about in America, so for it to actually happen was a special moment.
Seeing your mate succeed is one of the reasons everyone in our great country plays sport, especially cricket.
So, when I got to experience what will undoubtedly be one of the greatest moments of my career - making my Test debut - it meant a lot to have my mates and my family there. Having my dad Geoff hand me my baggy green in Dubai on October 22 was the proudest moment of my life to date.
To have my girlfriend and family there to watch me - nervously, I must add - was a great experience.
Although we got thrashed by Pakistan in the series, I gained great confidence from that tour.
I am extremely honoured to be the 438th player to wear the baggy green and winning my first Test on home soil in Adelaide a few weeks ago was one of the best days of my life.
It was a tough few weeks for the whole Australian cricket family with the tragic death of our little mate Phillip Hughes.
As sad at it is, I will always have fond memories of Hughesy and I am proud to have known him and even more so to have played with him for our country.
Anyone who has a brother I am sure will know that it doesn't matter what level you play, to share a dressing room with them is one of the best feelings in the world, but to represent our country in a Test match is something that Shaun and I will cherish for ever and, hopefully, we can play a few more together.
Although I got injured during the Test at the Gabba, it was amazing to stand next to Shaun with my arms around him and sing the song together.
What an amazing year and that becomes even more evident having now written those memories down. I hope that 2015 will be even better and, while I'm back home right now nursing a hamstring injury, I am hoping to get right for what is a huge summer of cricket in Australia.
I wish everyone a happy new year.
Forgetting about cricket can be important, as it helps us recharge."
