A former Far North Queensland A grade player and his son are set to achieve a historic feat when they run on together for Norway in a match against the Netherlands this weekend.
Eric Mellor - best known as Sonny - played at Cairns club Kangaroos before moving to the Scandinavian country and has since become one of Norway’s most experienced representatives, having played in the Vikings' first official tournament in 2010.
When Mellor faces the Netherlands as vice-captain this weekend in Amsterdam, it will probably be with a bit more butterflies in his belly than usual.
His son Jymaal Mellor-King, an Edmonton Storm junior, is making his debut for the Norwegian team, in what Rugby League Norway believes could make them the first father-son pairing to play traditional 13-a-side international rugby league in the same game.
The nearest recent comparison comes in wheelchair rugby league, when in 2019 father-and-son Craig and Cory Cannane competed together as part of the Australian Wheelaroos against England.
Mellor-King, who spent time living in Norway and Australia growing up, most recently played a season in Cairns in 2019 when he won an under-18 premiership with Edmonton Storm, played the occasional A grade game and was one of the top best-and-fairest contenders for under 18s that year.
Such is his talent he was selected for North Queensland Marlins in under 16s and was part of a Queensland Academy of Sport under 15 development camp in 2017 alongside the likes of current NRL players Reece Walsh, Sam Walker, Klese Haas, Brendan Piakura and fellow Cairns junior Xavier Savage.
Asked what it meant to have the opportunity to play internationally alongside his son, Mellor, who has ticked off a raft of rugby league goals despite missing part of his left arm, said he was "humble and proud".
“The question about how I feel before this match is hard to put down to just a couple of words," the 40-year-old said.
"I have in my life faced many obstacles and had the odds against me, but never had I let anyone tell me what I can and cannot achieve.
"I got told early I would never play rugby league, and now over half a life later I find myself in a position to write a bit of world history. This makes me feel humble and proud.
"I wish to be an inspiration to my son, my children and other young people, showing them that you can achieve what you want no matter what people tell you.
"To get the opportunity to play for the Norwegian national team with my son is something I would never have dared dreaming of, before we saw this could actually become reality when Jymaal moved over here from Australia.
"All I ever wanted was to get one game together with him for Lillestrøm Lions our local team. Now this has turned into several seasons together. This dream kept me going for all these years on the pitch.
"The thought of playing together with Jymaal and the support from my wife, we would never ever be in this position if it wasn’t for her support and sacrifices.
"Together Jymaal and I are going to become a part of world history in rugby league and that is something I will never forget.
"The only game that could beat what this means to me would be winning a World Cup. This match is, in my way, my World Cup final."
Norway's clash against a formidable Netherlands side takes place in Sassenheim, about 30km southwest of central Amsterdam, on Saturday, September 30.
