That’s how coach Craig Biles summed up the performance of the Giralong Galang side on and off field.

In Townsville for a week was an experience in itself for these bush under-16 boys but Biles also hopes it will be something the boys will remember for the rest of their lives.

“A couple of the boys hadn’t played soccer before but we felt they were deserving of a place in the squad,” he said.

“Our side was made up of players from Dubbo, Wellington and Orange and they were selected after a successful participation day held in Dubbo in April.

“Giralang Galang competed against teams from every state in Australia. The competition was set up in sectional play and the Dubbo side went through the section undefeated beating Tasmania 9-0, Alice Springs 5-0 and Western Australia 1-0.

“Unfortunately we lost 3-0 to North Queensland side Yallorin in the final. However, at this stage we were hard hit by injuries to key players. That aside the game was fast and entertaining and played in a very good spirit.”

Biles hopes the participation of Giralang Galang will continue next year.

“This trip was a module for future teams to play in a carnival of this type,” he said.

“If everyone did the right thing and behaved then we would go again. The boys were reminded that if anything went amiss then their actions would mean that kids down the line in future years would miss out on something special.

“And it was very special. We had 12 boys teams up at Townsville and four girls teams. Everything went super and organisers were very impressed.

“This program is a Football Federation of Australia initiative and there was a lot riding on its success.

“It was all about giving a bunch of Indigenous kids the opportunity to experience something different and to promote football from the grass roots level.

“Along the way it also promoted good living and social practices.

“Personally I think everything we did allowed us to tick all the boxes. We easily achieved those aims on and off the field.

“If that’s how we measure success then this group of boys did that.

“The boys went up there and had a lot of respect for the land that they played on and for the people who put the carnival together.

“They were a credit to themselves, their families and myself and managers Joe Flick and Trevor Kennedy were proud of everyone.”

Giralang Galang squad:

Les Usher, Alex Richardson, Gareth Williams, Nathan Piras, Jake and Josh Ferguson, Jaidan Biles, Ethan Coyle, Luke Kennedy, Jared Frail and Lex Croft (all Dubbo); Cody Hennelly, Nicholas James and Nick Forrest (Wellington) and Kyle Fuller (Orange).