But it won’t be a significant round for that reason alone.

For the first time, the Central West AFL will be celebrating the Indigenous Round, which has been a popular feature of the AFL calendar.

Many sports in Australia have significant connections to the indigenous community, but few, if any, celebrate that connection as well as the AFL, and two Bushrangers players are delighted to see similar acknowledgements in the Central West competition.

“The whole idea of an Indigenous Round is on such a wide scale now with what the AFL has done, and it is a great way for people to celebrate football, something that so many people love, as well as the contribution of Aboriginal players,” said Nikayla Carr-Smith, who plays for the Bushrangers women’s team.

“It is a positive way to send a good message, that Aboriginal people can do great things in sport. It is great that all the clubs in the AFL itself have the special indigenous jerseys and the fans love to get around it.”

Nikayla and her team-mates will not be playing on the weekend due to a bye, but her big – literally – brother Emmitt will be in action.

Both the Carr-Smiths are from a family with a background in rugby league, their father Darren having represented Western Division.

Emmitt was also a promising basketballer with the Bathurst Goldminers before turning his attention to Australian Rules three years ago when he debuted for the Bushrangers.

He towers over most of his opponents and has the strength to go with it, and as part of the Outlaws side he is hoping to get one over his Rebels club-mates tomorrow.

Both sides look destined to be part of the premiership race later in the season, having dropped a solitary game each – both to Cowra – so far.

“It will be a bit weird to be up against them. We train together and in the last couple of years they’ve all been my team-mates,” Emmitt said.

“But it is just footy. There will always be an opposition and it doesn’t matter who it is, you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.

“I think we have such a strong side right across the field, and I think maybe at the start of the season the Rebels didn’t have the same strength right through their team, but they’ve improved every week and were on top of the ladder up until losing to Cowra.

“I don’t think initially when I started playing AFL that I knew how good I could be at it. It was a tough transition from an indoor sport to an outdoor one, from a sport where you only use your hands to one where you use your feet.

“But I think I’ve done pretty well in the last year or so. I’m playing on the wing at the moment and it is good because generally all my opponents aren’t as tall or as big as I am, which gives me a nice advantage.”

The older Carr-Smith explained that plenty of Aboriginal athletes have had a big influence on society in general, and not just from the world of AFL.

“Obviously a player like Adam Goodes has had a big impact on football with how he’s gone about things, as well as having a bit of an impact outside of sport,” he said.

“Look at rugby league players like Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston and what they’ve achieved, and their status in Australian sport. It is hard not to be inspired by them.”

Nikayla agreed.

“These people take on so much responsibility because they aren’t just role models for the Aboriginal community, they are role models for the wider community as well,” she said.

“It means a lot to us and it is something we can be very proud of.”

The two Bushrangers teams will meet from 2.30pm at George Park tomorrow.