Kobe Bone celebrates Mackay Cutters first-grade debut with family

The Sunshine Coast, a long stretch of ocean-kissed heaven, was for a short time nirvana on Earth for a young man in hot pursuit of what he hopes is his destiny - an NRL career.

On Saturday night at Sunshine Coast Stadium, the Oxley High alumnus made his Hostplus Cup debut when he came on in the 59th for the Mackay Cutters against the Falcons.

"I'm still a little bit speechless from it. It was unreal," said Bone, who played in the second-row in Mackay's 16-10 win - their first of the season.

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"I just come on and took a run straight away - got the nerves and the excitement out of the way," the 20-year-old also said. "And yeah, felt comfortable straight away."

"Happy with how I went," he added.

The occasion was made even more special by the surprise appearance at the match of Bone's mother, Katrina, younger brothers, Taj and Harpah, and grandparents, Les and Dianne Mills.

Katrina and his brothers presented him with his No. 14 jersey before kick off.

Bone said: "My family told me they couldn't make it, as my father's gone up to Alice Springs, and my mum was like, 'It's [his selection] a bit late notice, so we couldn't make it'.

"But, obviously, that was a bit of a lie - and she surprised me."

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"That was a massive highlight for me," he said of the jersey presentation. "Made me tear up and everything."

However, what goes up ...

This week, Bone was again named on the bench for the Cutters' next clash - a home appointment against Wynnum Manly.

But then he was handed a one-match suspension after being placed on report for a crusher tackle in the Falcons encounter.

"Played one game and got suspended," he said. "But that's just a part of the game, I guess."

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