Wests Tigers, Thirlmere junior Heath Mason on his early days ahead of Junior League Appreciation Round
He’s among the new wave of Macarthur juniors to crack the NRL, but ahead of Wests Tigers Junior League Appreciation Round, this Thirlmere Rooster isn’t about to ditch his former teammates.
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It’s among the fastest growing areas in the state, and the Macarthur region in Sydney’s southwest churns out rugby league talent just as fast.
Locals like Heath Mason, the 19-year-old from Thirlmere who helped the Wests Tigers end a nine-game losing streak last weekend in his NRL debut.
Sharing the big stage with fellow first-gamer and Liverpool Catholic Club junior, Jordan Miller, the pair made it five locals to successfully transition from the victorious 2022 Wests Magpies under-17s side.
Now ahead of Sunday’s Junior League Appreciation Round at Campbelltown Stadium, Mason lifted the lid on a footy crazed family and a journey that kicked off as a four-year-old.
“My pop John Mitchell and uncles all played for Thirlmere Roosters,” said the rising backline star and St Gregory’s College graduate.
“I’ve got heaps of cousins, especially on mum’s side of the family, and it wouldn’t surprise me if 40 or more have played for the club over the years. I always loved going to the footy at Thirlmere when I was growing up.
“I’d watch first grade with my close friends and we always knew players in the team. They were great days, I was ball boy too and we used to get a voucher for red frogs and a soft drink.”
With hundreds of juniors from up to 23 Macarthur clubs set to join over 200 players from the Tigers pathways, the Canberra Raiders can expect an energetic welcome for the round 16 clash.
Still in the mix to make Benji Marshall’s final 17, the speedster in white headgear often reflects on tips from the early days.
“Thirlmere run a healthy system down there,” Mason said of the club who field senior teams in the Macarthur competition, and currently have four ex-NRL stars on the books including former Maroons playmaker Corey Norman.
“They usually have a few former first grade stars. When I was coming through the junior reps at Wests, former Parramatta player Jacob Loko and ex-pathways players like Kye Madden would always help me out with advice to make sure I made the most of my opportunity.
“Only recently Norman and some of the other ex-NRL guys were running junior clinics at the club.”
Inspired by the rise of Tallyn Da Silva and Lachie Galvin, Mason hasn’t forgotten his junior teammates who pack a healthy dose of humour and goodwill.
“All my family and mates were at Leichhardt for my debut,” he said. “They were the boys that kept me playing, even as I moved through the pathways they have always been there and I really appreciate it.
“They were going to buy white headgear but then mum found some old ones in the cupboard. All the velcro had worn away, but the boys still wore them at the game.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was pretty cool to get a photograph with them after full time.”
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