The squads of boys aged 15-17 years old put on a show as some of the best players in the AFL watched on, with the Naitanui Academy claiming the victory in what was a terrific showcase of football talent in Western Australia.

Both academy squads were also invited to the open training on the day prior, getting the opportunity to meet the All Stars players and pick their brains with plenty of questions on what the match meant to them and what a pathway to the AFL can look like for them.

Naitanui Academy Manager Chris Brown was thrilled with the evening of football and the unique opportunity provided to the young players.

“Having the Indigenous All Stars game here in Perth gave us a great opportunity to highlight and expose just how good the NGA programs are in WA to the greater country and provided the boys the opportunity to meet some of their heroes,” Brown said.

“The boys put on a really good performance and played with a heap of excitement and flare, putting on a show and representing the club at a high level. At the end of the day it was a great opportunity to showcase what West Coast and Fremantle are doing in the NGA space.”

An important highlight of the match was the inclusion of players from the Clubs regional Naitanui Academy programs, with 12 boys from across the Pilbara, Goldfields and Great Southern combining with the metro academy to form the curtain raiser squad.

In addition to this, two Naitanui Academy alumni in Coen Livingstone (Eagles) and Lawson Humphries (Geelong) played for the Indigenous All Stars, with both players hailing from regional communities York and Wickham respectively.

“It was really exciting to have two former Naitanui Academy players in the All Stars squad and highlights what the program can achieve for young up-and-coming players. It just shows our younger Naitanui Academy boys that there is a genuine pathway from the academy system onto an AFL list and then even into potentially another Indigenous All Stars team in the future,” Brown said.