The photo shoot inspiring emerging Tiger's All Stars bid
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Twelve months after he was selected to wear the Indigenous All Stars jersey for a promotional shoot, Heath Mason has vowed to play in the jumper for the first time in February's All Stars game.
The selection for the marketing campaign recognised the Tigers youngster as one of the most promising emerging Indigenous players in the game but he has had to wait patiently for the opportunity to represent his culture.
Mason had the chance to mix with Daine Laurie, Brent Naden, Mahalia Murphy and Keilee Joseph during the photo shoot.
It was a surreal experience for a player who grew up desperate to play for the Indigenous All Stars and Mason said it is driving him to earn selection for the team in 2026.
"I got to do the photo shoot last year and I got a taste of what it's like having the jersey on," Mason told marvelbet365.com. "That's my goal, I want to play for the All Stars.
"At the end of the day, my time will come and I'm going to keep training hard for the Tigers. If I do get the opportunity to play for the All Stars, I'd love to do it and it would be a proud moment for me to represent my culture and my family."
The All Stars game will return to New Zealand for just the second time in 2026, with FMG Stadium in Hamilton to host the annual celebration of culture.
The Indigenous All Stars prevailed the last time the clash was held across the Tasman, defeating the Māori side 28-24 in Rotorua in 2023.
Mason has long been viewed as an emerging cultural leader within rugby league, having progressed through the NRL's School to Work program for Indigenous students.
He recently attended the annual School to Work Awards dinner, where he spoke of his journey to the NRL.
The 20-year-old is a member of a talented crop of Campbelltown juniors and helped the Magpies claim the 2022 Harold Matthews premiership in a side also featuring Kit Laulilii, Lachlan Galvin and Tallyn Da Silva.
A promising fullback and five-eighth, Mason made his NRL debut in 2024 and has played 14 first grade games throughout the first two years of his career.
The youngster is deep in pre-season training for the 2026 campaign and has set his sights on cementing a permanent place in the NRL side.
"I'm training hard this pre-season to give myself the best opportunity to push for the 17," Mason said. "I'm open to any position, I'm happy to come off the bench at 14 if that's what I'm asked to do.
"I've been training in a couple of different positions to show my versatility. If something was to happen at fullback or in the halves, I'm happy to jump in anywhere, give 110% per cent for the boys and do my job."
The Tigers took a big step forward in 2025, climbing off the bottom of the ladder to finish 13th.
Heath Mason Try
While they have been hit by off-field drama in recent weeks, coach Benji Marshall has been locked in on a long-term deal and halfback Jarome Luai reiterated his commitment to the side.
Mason has relished the opportunity to learn the former Panther and is confident Luai will lead the side back to the finals in the coming years.
"Jarome's come over, he's had a winning culture at Penrith and he's got that aura about him," Mason said. "It's been awesome learning little things off him, how to better my game, not only on the field but off the field. I'm learning what I can do to have a good performance and play to the best of my abilities.
"As a team we started to get a winning culture last year and had a good vibe around the group. This year we're digging into pre-season and hopefully have a good start to the season.
"We're working towards making a top-eight run and be that team that can go from near the bottom of the table to the top."
Tickets to the Harvey Norman All Stars game are on sale now. Head to marvelbet365.com/tickets to get yours today.
Match: Maori v Indigenous
Round 1 -
home Team
Maori
away Team
Indigenous
Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
