Shalom's heartfelt pledge

MOTIVATED: Rochedale junior, Shalom Meo aims to play for Australia or Fiji at senior level.

A SOLEMN pledge to his late uncle is the driving force behind Shalom Meo's strong desire to one day represent Australia or Fiji at senior level.

In January, 2009, the promising Rochedale rugby league junior laid a rugby ball-shaped wreath on his namesake uncle's grave, who died during peace keeping duties in Sinai.

The 16-year-old said his uncle was one of his biggest fans.

He said his uncle's calls from the sand dune of the Sinai desert was not only inspiring, but taught him how to tap the mettle required to play rugby league.

“He'd always call to see how I was going and was encouraging me to keep going in rugby,” the softly spoken teen said.

“Just for me at the time it really helped.”

Meo hopes to one day return to Suva and place a Fiji or an Australian number 11 jumper on his uncle's grave.

“That's the ultimate goal,” he said.

“He didn't get the chance to see me play so I want to do something in return for always supporting me.

“This is a big thing for me because we were real close and if I can do that for him I'll be really happy.”

Meo grew up in Suva, Fiji, in the same tribe as his cousin and All Blacks winger, Sitiveni Sivivatu, before moving with his family to Australia when he was four.

The devout Christian dabbled with baseball and soccer, before finding his true calling as a rugby league player.

While he has only been playing the 13-man code for a few years, the 180cm, 90kg hard-hitting back rower got to represent the Queensland Under-16 Maroons in a one-off game against New South Wales Country in Bundaberg earlier this year.

Despite the team going down 26-18, Meo relished the opportunity.

“It was a good feeling,” the John Paul College student said.

“It was exciting to be around all the coaching staff and the players.

“It was my first real taste of professional rugby.”

Later this year Meo will travel to Sydney to play for Fiji under-16s against the Cook Islands, where he hopes to impress some Sydney-based NRL clubs, who have already shown interest in the late bloomer.

It will be the second time Meo has represented his native country after he captained the Fiji under-16s at last year's Pacific Rugby League Cup held in Logan.