When the SEQ and Central Divisions (Regions) recently did battle at Dolphin Stadium, SEQ Under 19s halfback Shallin Fuller arguably had more support than anybody else on the field.
Fuller, who plays club footy for the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the Rugby League Gold Coast competitions, had almost two dozen family members cheering him on.
Hailing from the Indigenous community Muli Muli in the NSW Northern Rivers region, Fuller made the move to Beaudesert three seasons ago.
A multi-talented athlete, Fuller represented NSW in touch football in 2016 and 2017, made the 2017 NRL Touch Football Australia Youth Trans Tasmin Squad and was selected in the Australian futsal team in 2016. He has also been a competitive sprinter and tennis player in the past.
He was a somewhat late starter when it came to rugby league; only running out for his first game in Under 15s, but his natural talents shone through quickly.
"This has been the furthest he has made it in league; he didn't have a junior league, he only started playing when he was Under 15s," proud mother Talithea Fuller told QRL South East Queensland Division staff member Mel Tabet on the night.
In 2017, he was the Rugby League Gold Coast's leading try-scorer in the Under 19s competition, scoring 18 tries in 15 appearances.
This season, he has split his time between the Under 19s and Beaudesert's senior men's team in the QTOP Doug Lipp Cup competition. Currently, he sits second on the leading try-scorer's list with 13 tries in 12 senior appearances in addition to eight tries in 10 appearances in the Under 19s.
Wearing the number 7 on his back, Fuller was a key contributor for SEQ when they took on the Central Under 20s team, scoring a try and kicking two goals in their 32-22 win.
Having completed Grade 12 last year, he is currently working as an apprentice builder, but there is no telling where his obvious talent will take him in the years ahead.
What he can count on, is no matter where his talent takes him, he'll do it with the loving support of his family firmly behind him.
