MOVING UP: Cutters back rower Shane Wright made his Cowboys debut over the weekend.

MOVING UP: Cutters back rower Shane Wright made his Cowboys debut over the weekend. Michael Chambers

CUTTERS back rower Shane Wright has been dreaming of making his NRL debut since he was just nine years old.

Last weekend that childhood fantasy became a reality, when he took the field sporting the North Queensland Cowboys jersey in their Round 24 home clash against the Cronulla Sharks.

The 21-year-old said he was over the moon to hear he'd be playing for the first time, after signing with the Cowboys for two years in November 2016.

"I honestly couldn't believe it,” he said.

"I just thought I was going to be 18th man so when they said 'no, you're playing' it was just a dream come true.

"I've been waiting my whole life to play in the NRL so to have it finally happen was just amazing.”

Wright, who grew up in Airlie Beach, joined the Cutters and Cowboys after two seasons in the Gold Coast Titans' under-20 program, and was also named on the 2016 Auckland Nines side.

Shane Wright has been a stand out players for the Cutters all season. JAG PHOTOGRAPHY

After his debut, Wright said he received promising feedback and looked forward to taking the field again before season's end.

"I thought I did alright, especially with so much adrenaline on the day, I played a lot more minutes than I expected,” he said.

"A few senior players and coaches said I did some really positive things in the game so that's always good to hear moving forward.

"I'm hoping I'll get called up again, it's such a great opportunity, but if not I'll be back in Mackay giving it my all for the Cutters in their last game this weekend.”

Cutters head coach Steve Sheppard said unsurprisingly, Wright played a standout debut game and had earned his spot on the team.

"I thought Writey was exceptional, he played his part really well within the group,” he said.

"He knows his role and does it well, from a coaching perspective that's all you can ask.

"I have a feeling we won't see him with Cutters this week but we'll just have to wait and see what happens.”