The return of the Indigenous All Stars clash has breathed a renewed air of excitement and anticipation as a collective of the AFL's greatest talents team up to face Fremantle.
Descending onto Optus Stadium on February 15, the league has entered yesteryear, bringing the marquee game out of retirement after a 10-year hiatus.
Over time, a variety of clubs have had their time in the spotlight, namely Victorian powerhouses Collingwood (1994), Carlton (2003), Essendon (2007) and Richmond (2011 and 2013), while the Western Bulldogs (2005) and Adelaide (2009) have also had their turn in facing the All-star team.
And now, the Dockers are the lucky ones who get to feature.
AFL Executive GM Inclusion and Social Policy Tanya Hosch spoke of the significance a game like this has on Indigenous people and why Justin Longmuir's men will be suiting up on Saturday.
"What we do know is Fremantle have the longest streak of consistent Indigenous players on field of any club in the league by a significant margin," Hosch told Footy Feed.
"We know that this was something that they were definitely going to support and still have strong Indigenous leadership in their club.
"I think once it was decided (the game) to happen in Perth, it was either going to be Freo or West Coast and Freo have been nothing but enthusiastic and supportive right from the start.
"But over time, I hope we get to see most teams play the Indigenous All-Stars."
It has been widely documented that the level of participation from Indigenous players at both the elite and grassroots levels has diminished, with a total of 63 players in the AFL the lowest it has been since 2006 (58).
The most recent draft saw three Indigenous players taken by clubs, with Cody Anderson (Hawthorn), Ricky Mentha Jnr (Melbourne) and Malakai Champion (West Coast) entering the top flight.
But there has been a push to see an uptick of Indigenous players head through the talent pathways and into the big time.
The All Stars game is one of a range of initiatives put in place by the AFL in the hope of seeing numbers increase.
Another is revising the Next Generation Academy (NGA) access on draft night, with clubs able to match any bid on a player, which was previously outside the top 40.
The league introduced a trigger for an additional fourth year on the Rookie List where the player has played less than 10 games.
The Herald Sun also reported that "increased resources (have been put) into the AFL's Indigenous and multicultural junior academies, with three Indigenous players in each of this year's AFLW and AFL Academy".
NT Indigenous leader Denise Bowden was recently nominated to join the AFL Commission, and vowed to "continue to drive the growth of the game at a grassroots, regional and remote level where it has such an impact on communities".
