Indigenous Sport Month: Josh Addo-Carr joins Baker Boy to launch Fox League’s Indigenous Round

Josh Addo-Carr has opened up about what Indigenous Round means to him, as the Storm star teamed up with Baker Boy to launch Fox League’s coverage.

When Josh Addo-Carr walked the red dirt of the Northern Territory, he felt an unshakeable connection to the land beneath his feet.

But the connection to country wasn’t always there for the Storm star, a proud Gunggandji and Wiradjuri man.

Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture closer to First Nations people is one of the reasons Addo-Carr is proud to be the face of Fox League’s Indigenous Round coverage.

“It’s so important. We are so disconnected to our culture in the outside world and just for the NRL to acknowledge the indigenous culture and what we’ve done for the game, it’s pretty special to be a part of,” Addo-Carr said.

“Growing up, as a kid, you always wanted to be a part of that.

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Josh Addo-Carr leads a dance with young Indigenous men at Kurrawa beach last year. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“You might get another GI (Greg Inglis) in a couple of years and you try to inspire kids to (want to) play in the Indigenous Round.

“It’s a great thing to be a part of.”

Fox Sport Executive Director Steve Crawley said Addo-Carr’s unmistakable smile, laugh and exceptional ability made the Storm flyer the perfect choice as the face of the campaign.

“Josh Addo-Carr is the type of player that makes you stand up everytime he touches the ball and paired with Baker Boy’s voice it makes for one very exciting combination,” ” Crawley said.

”We wanted to do something special to get footy fans in the right mood for the week ahead, a true celebration of the amazing feats of our Indigenous players in the NRL and AFL.

“We were lucky that the planets aligned, and we could get both at the same time in a very special location. Everyone who’s been involved in it on a production level, lead by Charlie Lambert, are all the best in the business.”

Addo-Carr travelled to the Northern Territory with hip hop star Baker Boy to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous athletes.

Danzal Baker was born in the remote Northern Territory community of Milingimbi and raised in Maningrida, and he makes music not only in English but in the Yolngu language of his Arnhem Land family.

“It was amazing to head up to Alice Springs to film this incredible promo and to meet Josh, the whole experience just had a really special feeling, like we were making something pretty iconic,” Baker Boy said.

Fox League’s national campaign also features the stunning sights of the Parrtjima Light Festival in Alice Springs.

Storm star Josh Addo-Carr with Baker Boy.

Addo-Carr took the time to meet some of the region’s rising rugby league talent.

“It’s pretty rare. The people have been really welcoming, the festival is amazing, I got to share a bit of my story with the locals,” Addo-Carr said.

“I love sharing my story, love putting smiles on people‘s faces.

“One of those people listening could have been going through a tough time and I might have taught them a few things.”

As part of Indigenous Round the NRL will be launching its “Know The Numbers” campaign. Every player who takes the field next weekend will be wearing a T-shirt with a statistic that highlights the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians across a number of key demographics like education and health.

One of the Indigenous Round t-shirts NRL players will wear.

“It’s a bright future for all Australians, we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” Addo-Carr said.

“I just want to acknowledge the NRL too, they‘ve done an awesome job to showcase all this.”

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo believes the game of rugby league would not be what is today, if not for the contribution of Indigenous players.

“You cannot imagine rugby league without the impact of our Indigenous players,” Abdo said.

“Around 12 per cent of our playing group is Indigenous and we have a responsibility to actively create more opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

“We’re proud to report that 92 per cent of NRL School to Work program participants complete Year 12 and 95 per cent of placed participants from school to work will remain in employment.

“We’ll continue to work closely with Indigenous Youth to ensure the game can create future opportunities.”