A move to Tasmania after the 2008-09 season gave Ed Cowan's career the boost he needed. At New South Wales he had struggled to make himself a regular member of the strong batting line-up and the move south brought immediate results. He played every Sheffield Shield match in his first season with the Tigers and he scored 957 runs at 53.16, placing him second on the competition tally. That collection included a career best 225, and he followed during the 2010 off-season with a century for Australia A against Sri Lanka A. It was a far cry from his final summer with the Blues, when he'd made only three first-class appearances in a side where he always felt someone else was hovering, ready to take his place.