Shawn Blore earned a well deserved NRL debut with the Wests Tigers on Thursday night and his performance was fitting of a player who is primed for a successful career in Rugby League.
Revered as one of the most special talents to come through the Penrith Panthers junior development system, Blore missed the entire 2019 campaign after rupturing his ACL.
He was granted an early release from the club and signed a two-year deal with the Tigers, and his individual display in Round 11 was made all the more impressive given he hadn't played any grade of football in over 12 months.
He recorded six runs, 48 metres and 31 tackles in just 49 minutes of game time, but it was his toe-to-toe battle with Nathan Brown in the dying stages that earned him the most respect.
"I'm just honoured he even wanted to have an argument with me!" Blore told NRL.com after his debut.
"Nathan Brown is one of the toughest players to walk on the field.
"Once he did that, it lit a fire. I'm honoured he even wanted to run it straight at me.
"I went up to him and shook his hand after the game. It was fun.
"I knew he was coming at me. I knew I put in the work so my physical contact would have been there. I just had to put my body behind him and what happened, happened."
It came as no surprise to those who knew of his unwaivering potential and his already-incredible Rugby League resume, that boasts CABE NSW Under 16s and 18s representation as-well as a game for the Australia U20s side in 2018.
In that same year, he captained the Panthers UNE SG Ball team to a premiership and then backed it up a week later to lead the side to the National Championship in Queensland.
He then graduated to the Jersey Flegg Cup where he played nine games, and has since made five appearances in the Canterbury Cup NSW.
There is little doubt that Blore has the makings of a future NRL superstar and has the mental fortitude to take his game to great heights in the years to come.
