He burst onto the scene in his debut game as a 23-year-old taking 8 for 92 in his first Shield innings with the ball, the second-best figures by a New South Wales bowler on debut, and claiming 10 for the match. He took an extraordinary 80 wickets in his first 15 Shield matches at 21.57. It got him selected on an Australia A tour of Zimbabwe in 2011 and the subsequent three-Test tour of Sri Lanka a month later. He took 5 for 47 in the first tour match and debuted in the first Test in Galle alongside Nathan Lyon. Copeland played in all three Tests in Sri Lanka and took six wickets as Australia won the series 1-0. He also went on the following two-Test tour of South Africa but did not play.