He would have been proud: Tweed’s Titan to debut

Tweed footy player secures debut for Titans.

GO TIME: Journeyman Cameron Cullen made his Titans debut against Cronulla on Sunday. Picture: Contributed

IT WILL be a day Tweed footballer Cameron Cullen will never forget.

The biggest day of Cullen’s sporting life is set to arrive in Sydney tomorrow as he makes his debut for the Gold Coast Titans in a moment he knows would have made his brother proud.

Replacing injured Titan, Tyrone Roberts, at five-eight, the rookie will realise a lifelong dream when he fills the halves against the Sharks at Cronulla.

Although wishing he could share his debut with older brother, Justin, who died in an accident during a surfing trip in the Maldives last year, the 22 year-old knows his sibling would be looking down on him from above.

“As kids we both wanted to play NRL and I played two years ahead (in age) to play in his team when we were teenagers,” Cullen said.

“He’d be rapt, over the moon and he’d be up there pretty proud of me.”

Cullen’s career tells the tale of a journeyman who spent time with the Broncos and Cowboys, toiling away at second-tier level as he worked on a senior call-up.

The call never materialised and while plying his trade with Cowboys’ feeder club the Mackay Cutters, tragedy struck.

With football the furthest thing from his mind, Cullen returned to the Tweed to surround himself with family, friends and loved ones, which helped reignite his NRL dream.

“I made the decision to come come back from Mackay for family reasons, not football, after Justin passed away,” Cullen said.

“But being around family and friends really made me a lot more comfortable than if I was away and that has been a big part of me being able to play my best footy this season.”

Since signing a second-tier contract with the Titans this year after first choice five-eight, Kane Elgey, went down with a season-ending knee injury, the popular Titan hasn’t looked back.

Cullen feels ready to make his mark on the competition and, after his call-up following Roberts’ injury, was welcomed into the fold by teammates.

“I was over the moon when told I was playing and it was great to see my teammates were excited for me too,” Cullen said.

“The boys have been so welcoming and supportive and it was really nice when they gave me a round of applause at training. I’m confident I can do my job for the team.”

Leading up to his debut, Cullen was supported by loved ones and the Tweed community.

“The phone’s rung hot and the support I’ve got from family and friends has been really special and really appreciated,” he said.

“Things have changed a fair bit over the last three months, but now I get the chance to represent my home NRL club and make my friends and family happy. I feel pretty fortunate.”

The Titans match gets underway at 2pm on April 10.

Originally published as He would have been proud: Tweed’s Titan to debut