Deja vu as Lillis gets a call-up

IT has been a week full of pleasant surprises for emerging forward Rory Lillis.

Last Saturday, the 21-yearold was called up to make his Intrust Super Cup debut for Tweed Heads just three hours before kick-off, granting him the chance to play alongside Titans big names Kane Elgey and Konrad Hurrell.

Then on Wednesday, it was deja vu.

Faced with a series of late changes to his representative side to play in the Chairman’s Challenge, Gold Coast Vikings coach Scott Cooke turned to Lillis.

He sneaked in a training session with the team that night and today will join them on the bus to Brandon Park in Acacia Ridge.

“I have just been working pretty hard and all of the coaches say it will come, just keep your head down and that’s what I have been doing and it just paid off,” Lillis said of his week.

“I got lucky that there was a couple of injuries up top and I got to have a run with the (Intrust Super) Cup boys and went all right and did my job.

“And then I think the same thing, an injury happened and I was in all right form and Scott heard of me and gave me the call-up.”

Lillis was raised in Crabbes Creek, north of Byron Bay, and attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.

After a year of under-20 footy for South Sydney, he returned to don Titans colours in the same competition before following coach Ben Woolf to Tweed, where he hopes to earn more ISC game time.

He has been selected for Vikings at second-row to combine with Tweed and ex-Titans 20s teammate Ethan Roberts on the left edge.

Though the team is newlook, the majority have tasted ISC footy and Lillis said “communication and bonding” were the keys to enjoying a successful tournament.

The Vikings will face Brisbane at 7.15pm tonight before backing up tomorrow against Ipswich in a game that kicks off at 4pm.