Tom Fullarton is an example of persistence paying off.

When he was lured back from basketball back to the Lions he knew he would have to toil away on learning his craft and reshaping his body to make it in the AFL.

But it was also a credit to academy coach Luke Curran who maintained contact throughout the years Fullarton spent at the AIS in Canberra and at the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL.

Fullarton went down the basketball path after captaining the Australian Under 17s side but Curran was convinced he would one day come back.

He checked in regularly on his former academy protégé, made sure there were always Lions’ tickets available for him on his trips back to Brisbane and kept an open ended offer to kick a footy around a park with hi whenever he wanted to get away from basketball.

And with former academy and junior footy mates such as Eric Hipwood and Jack Payne also remaining close friends, he never felt like he fully left the Club.

When he arrived back in Brisbane David Noble got involved and the two men were able to lure him back to what they believed was his true home.

Fullarton says he loves both games but is adamant he never once regretted taking the gamble to return to footy despite spending the key development years in basketball.

His debut in the Club’s two point win over St Kilda on Sunday simply gave him the confidence he belonged at senior level.

“No, I’ve really enjoyed my time at the Lions, there’s such a great culture and it is a really good lifestyle,’’ he said.

“No matter which way I chose I might have wondered ‘what if I was playing footy or what if I was playing basketball?’

“I would never be able to have the perfect world where I play both.

“It was definitely a reward for all the work I had put in and shut off any doubt that I had that I couldn’t be at this level, it was definitely good for the confidence.’’

And there is no doubt it was the realisation of his fondest childhood dream.

“It was a pretty amazing experience to be out on the Gabba finally after watching as kid from the stands for all those years,’’ he said.

“And to get the win with the boys was even better, it was just a good experience.

“I remember granddad taking me and my older cousin down to the Gabba on Saturday nights, we grew up on the Sunshine Coast and we’d get on the highway for games.

“I have very fond memories of kick to kick on the Gabba after the games, they were always great times, I used to love trying to kick goals out there as a kid.

“It was good to finally get out there and kick one for myself.’’

It could have happened early in the first quarter when he dragged down a mark dep in the forward fifty. Although he missed his set shot he felt the passage settled any nerves.

“It was good to take that first mark, it calmed me down a bit, I felt pretty settled after that, it helped me get into the game a little bit as well,’’ he said.

“It was a bit surreal at the time, I wouldn’t say I was too nervous, it just happened so fast, I’d like to have it again though.’’

It was in the third quarter when he really made his mark. He kicked his first goal in the AFL on the run from about 30m after his support play was rewarded by a handball from Linc McCarthy which left him streaming towards goal.

Then it was his turn to play provider again using his work rate to become a link in the chain as he dished out a handball to Jarrod Berry who slotted one home off the left foot.

He said that given he is relatively new to ruck role, he knew his best chance to make an impact was through his workrate.

“I didn’t really play much ruck when I first got to the club, only really recently this season the last year or so,  so that’s probably my strength when I’m in there, my work rate and my follow up,’’ he said.

“That’s what Huddo (ruck coach Ben Hudson) told me to bring, I was just playing to my strengths, trying to get up and down the ground and get involved. I was lucky enough to get the hands off Linc for my goal and then dish one out to Bez.’’