NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has outlined his desire to honour the past while laying the foundation for future First Nations stars ahead of this week's Indigenous Round.
The annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands culture has grown in 2025 to incorporate both the NRL and NRLW competitions and is now held across two rounds.
Past, present and emerging players were on hand for Tuesday's official launch, with Cliff Lyons, Josh Addo-Carr, Olivia Kernick and junior players from the Redfern All Blacks among those representing three generations.
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This year's theme for Indigenous Round is "Moving forward together" and Abdo said it's a message the game is eager to reinforce both on and off the field.
"Indigenous Round is far more than just football," Abdo said at Tuesday's launch. "It's far more than just a round. It's a powerful demonstration of rugby league's ability to influence culture, to drive reconciliation, to empower Indigenous community and to educate the nation.
"In 2025 we've aligned Indigenous Round with the theme of NAIDOC Week of 'strength, vision and legacy'. These words help tell the story of how rugby league and our players have continued to inspire.
"The theme is represented by the people that we have before us, the NRLW and NRLW superstars of today, the trailblazing players of the past like Cliff Lyons, Timana Tahu and Dean Widders, and most importantly our next generation of rugby league players."
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Rugby league has a long history of providing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with Lionel Morgan the first Indigenous man to play for the Kangaroos in 1960.
Arthur Beetson became the first Indigenous man to captain a national sporting team when he led Australia in 1973.
More recently, Jess Skinner became the first Indigenous woman to coach the Jillaroos, while a host of the game's biggest players are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Sydney Roosters star Connor Watson, a proud Gamilaroi man, said the current playing group recognises their responsibility to lay the foundation for the next generation.
"It's so important for kids to be able to go to the ground and see their team celebrate their culture," Watson said. "The way every team involves local communities is great.
"Every team will have local dancers and Elders to do the Welcome to Country. It's important for them to be able to see people from their community, people they can look at to represent their culture and be proud of it."
While the game's Indigenous stars will take centre stage throughout the next couple of weeks, the round also highlights the work the NRL carries out in the First Nations space year-round.
The NRL became the first sporting organisation to launch a second Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan, while the organisation also runs a number of programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The School to Work program has helped thousands of Indigenous people progress through their education journey since its inception in 2012 and Abdo is proud of the scheme's success.
"We're conscious of the fact we operate within a community," Abdo said. "The School to Work program is an opportunity where the game has helped thousands of Indigenous kids complete their education, providing them with mentorship and then helped them with their careers and tertiary education.
"It's got a 98.5% success rate, we're incredibly proud of that. Not only of the kids who go on and make a huge impact on society, but also for the mentors, the former players, and everyone involved in their program. That's just one small example of the impact the game can have on the community."
