But there can only be one Steve Smith. That's why Mac Wright is doing things his own way as he sets his sights on a Sheffield Shield debut.

The Weston Creek Molonglo export still remembers the day he packed his bags for the Apple Isle as a teenage leg-spinner.

But somewhere along the way things changed - because three years later when he finally got a shot for his adopted state of Tasmania, Wright made it count with the bat.

Wright is eyeing a Sheffield Shield debut after scoring a breakthrough century in his second List A match for Tasmania that proved he could stand on his own two feet.

The way things have been going suggests Wright might be doing it as a batsman with his leg-spin a mere afterthought.

"The leggies haven't been going as good as they have in the past so I have really been working on my batting," Wright said.

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"I've been lucky to make a few runs this year, so definitely my batting at the moment is at the forefront.

"I'll just keep plugging away in club cricket and maybe get lucky enough to play a Shield game.

"That's definitely a goal that has been there for a while. It would be awesome to tick that off and get that opportunity."

Wright's century (104 from 116 balls) inspired Tasmania to a 120-run thumping of NSW in the domestic one-day competition on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old's man of the match performance consigned the Blues to the wooden spoon as Tasmania finished their campaign with a bang.

This was no flash in the pan - a well-made 46 in his first outing for Tasmania suggests Wright has the ingredients to mix it at the top level.

There was certainly no shortage of people cheering when he brought up three figures. There were those from the Clontarf cricket club in Dublin, where Wright spent an off-season honing his craft.

There were those in the halls of Cricket ACT's Phillip Oval office who had seen him go from a quiet kid from the coast to a star on the rise.

There were those around Tasmania who have seen him blossom in recent years.

But few were as happy as his family, not least of which his mother Lisa and father Andrew.

"I spoke to mum this morning, she said she was yelling at the TV and crying, she was very happy. My brother might have shed a tear or two," Wright said.

"But I reckon dad, with the amount of work he has put in and driving back and forth to Canberra, I was just really happy to repay all the work he has put into me. Everyone was pretty happy.

"There's been a fair few messages. It's nice to be on the phone with the family and know they were watching, it made it really special.

"It was a special day. I was really happy to get that first hundred. A lot of hard work and a lot of work, not just by myself, but from other people has gone into that.

"It was a really special moment and I was really happy. You work away trying to get that opportunity.

"There's so much work that goes into just getting that opportunity, and then to actually perform on the day is another thing.

"I'm really glad I was able to be able to hit the floor early on in that second game."