Beau Fermor's rugby league career may have gone leaps and bounds this season, but he's never forgotten his grassroots.
Growing up in Dalby - a town of just over 12,000 people 200km west of Brisbane - the Gold Coast Titan played his entire junior career with the Devils, and even though he is now a household name in the NRL and on the verge of being an Origin and International representative, he still finds time to make it back home to give back to his local club.
So much so - he was even a surprise visitor for the recent Toowoomba Junior Rugby League grand finals, arriving in the week leading up to the big day to train with the Under 13s and 17s in their final team runs and share breakfast with the Under 16 side ahead of their decider.
His return for the big dance was just part of the hard-running backrower's contribution to the community that is a huge part of his life, this season taking on a coaching and mentor role with the Devils' Under 14 side across the entire year - regularly helping at training and running water on weekends that he is back home.
His junior roots means so much to the 23-year-old that he even donated his Queensland Maroons State of Origin training kit to the club to be worn by their week-to-week best and fairest.
Dalby club president Brenton McMillan couldn't be any more appreciative of Fermor's dedication to be a role model and inspire the next generation of stars to be just like him.
“Beau is a fantastic ambassador for the NRL and an inspiration to a new generation of up-and-coming Dalby Devils,” he said.
“Rugby league has a proud history in Dalby and the wider Toowoomba Junior Rugby League region, and Beau is extremely generous with the time he invests into teaching, mentoring and inspiring junior players at our club.
"Despite being a professional NRL player with a busy career and dad to a new baby son, Beau always makes the time to contribute to the Devils. He’s been a guest coach and water runner on game day, helped run training sessions throughout the year and even donated a State of Origin training kit to the club.
"He makes our players believe anything is possible and teaches them that it’s always important to give back.”
Loving every opportunity he gets to go back home and help the next generation of stars, the long-term Titan is hoping he can be an inspiration to any young boy or girl growing up in his home town.
"Hopefully I can inspire a few young boys or girls from Dalby to play for the Titans whether it’s in the NRL or NRLW," Fermor said.
"It’d be awesome because it’s a great breeding ground for footy players out there. There’s not much else to do but play footy, so you get pretty good at it."
Although historically a Broncos-dominated town due to the former Toowoomba Clydesdales presence, Fermor is quickly changing the town's colours from maroon and gold to sky blue and gold, with plenty of new Titans fans proud of their local product achieving great things in the NRL.
"Every time I go back to Dalby, I take some gear back to the juniors and hand it out to the boys and hope they’re wearing it around training and town," he said.
