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BULLDOGS enforcer David Klemmer might be born and bred in Sydney, but he will always have fond memories of Dubbo.
The 21-year-old man mountain made his representative debut for City in last year's Country-City fixture at Caltex Park, with that match and Bulldogs surge to the NRL grand final proving the catalyst behind his selection in the Australian squad for the Four Nations competition.
So you can imagine he was only to happy to return to the city as part of the NRL's Community Carnival scheme.
Klemmer joined clubmates Corey Thompson, Kayne Brennan and Lindon McGrady on the three-day tour, which saw them visit schools in Trangie, Mendooran, Binnaway, Coolah, Coonamble, Dunedoo, Gulgong, Warren and Gilgandra prior to an in-store visit at major sponsor Jaycar's Dubbo franchise yesterday.
"It's been a really enjoyable few days getting out and seeing the kids and then coming to Dubbo today and doing the fan session," Klemmer said.
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"Dubbo is always going to be a place I remember because I got my first representative jumper here last year.
"Some of the places we've visited the past couple of days are a bit more remote than Dubbo and they probably don't get the same opportunity to see NRL players so to walk into the schools and give the kids a high five and see them smiling was great. It's something I really enjoy doing, especially as someone from the city being able to take footy to the bush."
The Community Carnival concept sees players from every NRL club visit local and regional communities across Australia and New Zealand throughout the month of.
This year the message of the players to the students is "wellbeing", focussing on everything from nutrition and healthy eating to regular exercise and mental health.
"This is a particularly special Community Carnival as we celebrate 15 years of the program," said Adam Check, Head of NRL Community.
"Community Carnival has made considerable impact over the years on important issues such as bullying and social inclusion. The program has proven that when players talk, students listen.
"The message players will take into schools this year is a simple but important one - taking care of your diet, physical fitness and mental health is vital to your overall wellbeing."
Despite having a shorter-than-usual off-season due to the grand final and representative commitments, Klemmer said he can't wait for the NRL season to start in three weeks' time.
"To make it to the grand final and then fall short is something that is motivating a lot of the boys and we've really been working hard to get ready for the start of the season," he said.
"That's another thing that is enjoyable about these community visits. We've been flogged for the past couple of weeks with some tough sessions so getting out to the bush and interacting with the kids really freshens you up, because things are going to get really busy from now until the end of the season."