A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders.

[5][6] In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25-man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009.

At the end of the 2009 season Shillington was selected as part of the Australian squad that travelled to Europe for the 2009 Four Nations tournament.

For the 2010 ANZAC Test, Shillington was selected to play for Australia as a prop forward in their victory against New Zealand.

[9] Shillington announced his immediate retirement from rugby league on 9 February 2017 due to chronic injuries.