Dolphins utility Trai Fuller said his ‘surprise’ call-up to the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII side has lit a fire for him to enter next season with his best foot forward.
Fuller returned to the NRL in Round 24 this year after spending the opening part of the year recovering from an ACL injury, playing four games and scoring two tries to close out his season.
“(I didn’t expect a call-up), just after four games … I am glad to be here and get to experience it,” Fuller said.
“(When I spoke to coach Kristian Woolf about it), he said it would be a good experience for me to go over there, so I just jumped at it.
“I was happy with the year and how it turned out, especially after coming from an ACL and then coming into this Australian team, it’s been good.
“I was saying to one of my family members that I never thought that I’d be able to get the chance to play for Australia.
“It’s been good, it gives me a bit more fire and makes me realise why I do it and why I play footy all the time.”
Trai Fuller at training for the Prime Minister’s XIII side.
©Anthony Kourembanas / NRL Images
On working to his return, Fuller said it was a difficult time as it was his first long-term injury setback, coming off the back of a break-out year where he made his NRL debut.
This past season, Fuller was one of a number of Dolphins in their top squad sidelined with ACL injuries, with Jack Bostock and Max Plath joining in the rehab ward.
“The injury was a tough one, it was my longest one and it took me a while … before I started going back to trusting in my leg again,” Fuller said.
“I think it wasn’t until the Broncos game where I sort of just let it all go and just backed myself and it’s been alright ever since.
“(As a team) we have just got to try and keep everyone on the paddock and it’ll help out, I reckon we’ll be in for a big year next year.”
While only 16 matches into his NRL career, Fuller is one to the players in the PMs squad with experience playing rugby league in Papua New Guinea, having travelled up with Redcliffe to play the Hunters in the Hostplus Cup.
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However, the reception for the touring Australian sides – with the Australian Prime Minister’s Women’s team and the Australian Schoolgirls and Schoolboys teams also playing – has been another level.
“It’s a good experience for everyone to come over here, it’s an eye opener for everyone and gives you a bit of a reality check and makes you grateful for what you have back home,” Fuller said.
“It’s good that we get to come over here and play footy and bring joy to everyone over here and I think everyone’s liking it over here.
“All the boys were sort of spinning out at the start (with the rapturous reception).
“I think everyone’s loving it up here and everyone’s sort of taking it all in.”
Rugby League fans across the Pacific are set to be able to watch the Prime Minister’s XIII Women’s and Men’s matches on free to air television, through the PacificAus TV initiative and the NRL’s broadcast partners.
PacificAus TV is an initiative of the Australian Government and is managed by Free TV Australia, and has played an important role in delivering high-quality content that resonates with Pacific audiences since 2020.
The PM’s XIII matches are being transmitted on 17 Pacific broadcast partners – across 11 countries and seven time zones, via:
EMTV and NBC (Papua New Guinea) & Digicel.
Fiji TV, FBC and Mai TV (Fiji)
SBC TV1, EFKS TV2 and Apia TV3 (Samoa)
CITV and Vaka TV (Cook Islands)
TTV (Solomon Islands)
VBTC (Vanuatu)
Kiri One (Kiribati)
NTV (Nauru)
TVBC (Tuvalu)
TBC (Tonga)
BCN (Niue)