Adam Elliott will be soaking up every second when he dons the Canberra Raiders Indigenous jersey on Sunday.
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The proud Wiradjuri man hopes to "shake a leg" if he crosses the try line at Canberra Stadium, and beats his four Indigenous teammates to it.
If so, there will be a few special faces in the crowd to cheer him on, including his two-year-old son Lennex.
Putting any contract chatter on the backburner, as he turns his attention to the job at hand against the Parramatta Eels.
"I'm not thinking about contracts at all. I've got my little fella coming down, all my family coming, it's a really special weekend for me," Elliott said.
"[Lenny's] only been to one game previously in Sydney. This is his first Raiders' game.
"It'll be great to walk over to the sideline after the game and grab him, and he'll be a part of captain's run.
"They're just really special things, some of the boys get to experience on a week-to-week basis but for me I'm not as lucky to have that all the time. So I definitely won't be taking it for granted."
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The NRL's Indigenous Round marks the first since the Aboriginal flag has been freed, and this was not lost on Elliott.
As it was something that he was "very proud" to advocate for, before it was eventually freed in January.
"As a group of Indigenous players 18 months ago we rallied around that and followed the path that the AFL had led with the 'free the flag' campaign," the 27-year-old said.
"I've got that shirt in my wardrobe now and there's a little 'd' next to free, so it's great.
"Everyone can wear it proud and present it. It's definitely a big step forward."
The Raiders are looking to continue their winning streak against the Eels, and the round adds even more meaning to the game.
Especially for Indigenous Raiders suiting up on Sunday alongside Elliott - including Jack Wighton, Xavier Savage, Sebastian Kris and Jamal Fogarty - on Ngunnawal Country.
"It means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family," Elliott said.
"Between the five of us, hopefully one of us can get a try and shake a leg out there on the field and represent a little bit.
"I'd love to but I'm in competition next to Seb Kris and Xavier. I think they're probably more likely to cross the line.
"If we play as well as we did out in Dubbo, and our attack is flowing, there should be some tries scored and I'm sure the boys will be proud to dance."
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
