Why the All Stars match is far more important than a game

PEOPLE might only see the Indigenous All Stars for 80 minutes on Saturday night but their impact stretches far beyond the football field.

GREG Inglis tying a young kid’s shoe. A teenage girl being told by stars of the NRL to chase her university dreams. An aspiring footballer getting a selfie with Sam Thaiday.

They may only seem small moments but they capture the spirit of the All Stars week.

They are the highlights rugby league’s leaders want to see more of.

While the future of the All Stars game again dominated discussions this week, those who play the game were confused why it was even a question.

Regardless of how things went at Suncorp Stadium, the All Stars week has a special meaning because of what they can do away from the field, particularly for indigenous kids.

Through numerous workshops and school and community visits, they get the chance to interact with those kids who look up to them the most.

This annual week-long taste is not enough for some players however. They want to see to see more of it, across the board and all year long.

Dane Gagai praises this part of the week but believes the Broncos are setting a benchmark in how they approach indigenous action and education programs and the rest of Australia should be following suit.

From Deadly Choices to the FOGS’ ARTIE program, Gagai says there is so much going on that should be replicated elsewhere.

“I know in Brisbane they have programs like Deadly Choices and they do a really good job of getting indigenous kids going to school and on the right pathways,” Gagai said.

“If we can expand out to more areas, it’s obviously going to benefit indigenous people. We have to be willing to change for the better and move forward to make our future as a nation a better one.’’

Retired star Justin Hodges is another who feels strongly about the importance of expanding what NRL players do for the indigenous.

Hodges is using his post-football career to reach out to them through Brisbane’s Beyond the Broncos program and wants to use his upcoming NITV show, League Nation Live, to do good too.

Hodges has played a major role in some of the cultural activities this week.

“The thing with indigenous kids is, they’re very shy people,” he said.

“We’re all shy but if it means putting myself out there, hopefully I can inspire some kids along the way.

“We have to keep doing what we’re doing up here to make sure our kids are getting looked after to become future stars.”

Aside from his show and his role with the Broncos, Hodges said the biggest thing the NRL could do to improve indigenous relations was to keep the All Stars game.

“They do a great job the NRL (but) they just need to make a point where it’s not about making money, it’s not about TV ratings, it’s about the people, he said.

“That’s what we have to look at, the big picture.’’

Sam Thaiday saw the bigger picture this week when he met Karnelle Leone and Jarrad Clay through workshops with the Indigenous All Stars team.

He said the importance for him was helping kids break down stereotypes, which was something he struggled with while growing up.

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“They could break a cycle in their own family by achieving something as simple as getting a university degree,” he said.

“I say something as simple as that because for a lot of indigenous people, they don’t have the belief they can do it.

“I tried to break the mould myself. I didn’t want to be just the stereotypical black fella that could just play sport. I tried to apply myself, did a little bit more media training, learned how to talk a little bit better and tried to educate myself as much as I could.

“Hopefully from my story, someone else can be inspired to do something more.’’

Thaiday echoed fellow Queenslanders Hodges and Gagai in calling for an extension of what gets done during All Stars week.

The NRL already do plenty through the NRL School 2 Work program and Thaiday said he hoped to see more from all clubs in coming years.

“I encourage more NRL clubs to jump on board and not just see the All Stars week as the only time they tick the box of doing a bit of community work with indigenous communities,” he said.

“You can start off with something small and grow from there. I encourage all NRL CEOs to look into it more.’’

Originally published as Why the All Stars match is far more important than a game