Greg Inglis has added some serious star power to the Koori Knockout, which was only sanctioned by the NSW Rugby League after some heavyweight lobbying by rugby league's biggest names.
After missing out on the NRL Grand Final with South Sydney, Inglis will head to Dubbo this weekend for the indigenous league knockout where he will represent the Macksville-based Wall Street Warriors.
Blast from the past: Greg Inglis will play his first Koori Knockout since he was a teenager in Dubbo.
More than 30,000 fans are expected to watch Inglis joined by the likes of Souths teammate Cody Walker and Cronulla wrecking ball Andrew Fifita.
It is the first time Inglis has played in the tournament, which has run for 48 years, since he was a teenager.
Souths have given him his blessing with the powerhouse centre to keep his body ticking over ahead of next month's Tests against New Zealand and Tonga.
Unleashed: Josh Addo-Carr hit out at the NSWRL before the tournament was approved.
But Inglis, Fifita, Manly's Joel Thompson and even Melbourne's Josh Addo-Carr all made a point of putting heat on the NSWRL to sanction the event on Wednesday.
In recent years the NSWRL had refused to cover any insurance obligations for the Koori Knockout because some NRL players had taken part without the proper clearance from their clubs.
There was also the issue of tournament organisers allowing suspended players from various competitions around the state to feature.
"I will be playing in the 48th NSW Aboriginal KO! All the necessary requirements have been met by the Newcastle Yowies so @nswrl let's get the knockout sanctioned so we can all enjoy a great weekend of Aboriginal rugby league,'' Inglis posted on his Instagram account.
Addo-Carr, who has played at the tournament in the past with the Redfern All Blacks, took time out from NRL Grand Final preparations to write: "What a disgrace that our game and 48 years of Aboriginal culture and history are on the verge of being destroyed. And for what? So NSWRL can ''play politics''.
Fifita posted the same message as Addo-Carr and concluded: "Give the KO back to our people and let us play.''
The NSWRL, however, claimed organisers of this year's event, the Newcastle Yowies, had only made application for the event to be sanctioned at 12.02pm on Tuesday.
Some of the blunt social media potshots had commenced around the same time.
The NSWRL claimed they had given the knockout their blessing, despite ''misleading reports on social media earlier today''
"The NSWRL convened a special meeting of the board this afternoon to consider the application and to ensure that all public liability and insurance obligations have been satisfied in the interests of participant welfare,'' the NSWRL said.
"Newcastle Yowies have satisfied these requirements.''
The Koori Knockout will be beamed on SBS and NITV. Organisers were still trying to nail down some extra insurance on Tuesday night, but the event will definitely proceed.
Wall Street Warriors president Stephen Blair was delighted to have Inglis on board, with the team to be decked out in Manly's maroon and white colours.
"It means a lot to have him,” Blair told the local Nambucca Guardian. "I think it’ll help to lift the boys. He hasn’t played a KO since 2003, when he was 16. And he grew up on Wall St, and in Bowraville, so he’s a local boy through and through."
Conditioning: Andrew Fifita will also line up in Dubbo before Tests for Tonga.
Sydney Roosters star centre Latrell Mitchell has featured at the Koori Knockout in the past, but will be doing his best with the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Inglis' shock inclusion will be welcomed by organisers and no doubt prove the most popular player at the tournament.
Proud of his indigenous past, Inglis is hoping to be given the nod by Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga to succeed Cameron Smith at Australia's next skipper.
NITV's head of sort, former Wallabies Mark Ella, could not hide his excitement at the news Inglis was on board.
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