The most talented Aboriginal players from across the region will get the chance to line up together against a side of their non-indigenous peers in a match that will try to reflect the excitement generated by the now annual NRL All Stars match.

The idea was first raised last November, and St Pat’s premier league title-winning coach Kurt Hancock confirmed yesterday that it would go ahead.

“I was originally involved with a Harmony Cup under 16s team and that whole experience was amazing; there were a heap of different cultures represented. [There was] food, dancing and all sorts of stuff that just celebrated the different people that rugby league brings together,” Hancock said.

“I wanted to incorporate some of that into senior football. We are going to do some things a little bit differently, but we just want it to be a good, fun celebration and an event that we can hold for years to come.

“The selection process is pretty simple. We’ll ask each club to nominate five of their best players for the Group 10 All Stars team and there will be a selection panel to go through the names and pick a side.

“We’ll then ask for submissions from indigenous players who want to be involved and, again, there will be a selection panel for that team as well. 

“It is all about bringing together different people through footy, no matter what their background.”

St Pat’s themselves would have a likely presence in the Group 10 All Stars team thanks to the likes of Benjamin John and Garry Reilly, whose off-the-cuff style would suit the modified rules of the game perfectly.

Though the Saints don’t currently have any Aboriginal players in their first grade squad, Bathurst would still be well represented thanks to the likes of Panthers players Jeremy Gordon, Joey Bugg, Blake Lawson and new recruit Claude Gordon.

Local resident William “Bubba” Kennedy, at this stage uncommitted to a club and potentially having finally called time on his brilliant career, would be another candidate.

Panthers stars like Greg Behan and Brent Seager, or a fully-fit Todd Barrow, would also be under consideration for the Group 10 team.

The game will have a light-hearted edge to it thanks to a couple of different rules, including a power play for each team in each half that allows them to field 13 men against 10 for five minutes with no general play kicking allowed for the team who called the power play.

Try-scorers will attempt to convert their own efforts, something which will be an eye-opener if a couple of props somehow manage to find themselves standing in the centres and crossing the stripe.

Kick-offs will only happen at the start of each half, with play to resume after tries with a tap from half-way.

There is even talk of putting a microphone on the respective waterboys.

“We are trying to get David Peachey along to run the water for the Aboriginal team, while Richie and Andrew Farrar are hopefully going to do it for the Group 10 team, both of them being Cowra boys,” Hancock explained.

“There is already a lot of interest being shown, which is great, because I think it is a fantastic concept.

“For the indigenous guys, there is also something special about representing your heritage, and there have been so many great indigenous players to come from this region like Bert Gordon, the Rose boys and plenty of others. 

“We just hope everyone gets behind it and we can build it into something big.

“It is the sort of event that each club could take turns in hosting. It would be a good financial boost to any of them at the start of a season.”