The Yowies won this year’s edition of the time-honoured event, more commonly known as the Koori Knockout, but will play the tournament at Dubbo rather than hosting it themselves, which has been the norm in the past.

President of the Newcastle Yowies Warren Schillings said that it was an easy decision for the club to bring the competition back to Dubbo, a city which hosted the Knockout in 2015.

“The Dubbo Aboriginal community has supported us bringing the Aboriginal Knockout to Dubbo and we are thankful to the representatives of the local clubs including the Dubbo Pacemakers and the Googars who have welcomed teams back to Dubbo in 2018,” Schillings said.

“Although it is a football competition, there is more to it than that, it is one of the biggest cultural events in Australia with people from across the country celebrating Aboriginal culture and talent.

“The event itself will have a real family carnival atmosphere with everyone involved and catered for including our Aboriginal Elders through to activities for families and children and rugby league fans of all types.”

The Knockout will also bring some of the biggest names in rugby league out west with the likes of Nathan Merritt, Timana Tahu, Andrew and David Fifita and Brisbane Broncos flyer James Robert among the many NRL stars to play at Dubbo in 2015.

That event was a massive success with thousands of fans streaming into Apex Oval throughout the four days of competition.

The Knockout was won by the Redfern All Blacks is one of the all-time great grand finals.

The Redfern side found itself down by 16 points at half-time in decider clash with the Newcastle All Blacks but stormed back and scored an incredible double over-time golden point victory.

Hopes are high already for an equally thrilling tournament in 2018, while it will also deliver far-reaching social and economic benefits to the district.

“The Aboriginal Knockout is an event of national significance which Dubbo is proud to be hosting for a second time,” Mayor Ben Shields said.

“We are looking forward to extending a warm welcome to all visitors and expect they will enjoy the great facilities and services our City has to offer.

Mr Schillings said hosting the 2018 Knockout in Dubbo also gives teams from inland towns and smaller teams a chance to nominate and play closer to home while the location will also attract teams from coastal areas.

“People travel from across NSW to catch up with their families and Dubbo is perfectly located halfway between the western towns like Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina, and coastal cities like Newcastle,” he said.

“The facilities here at Dubbo’s Apex Oval are a perfect match for the nature of the competition.

“With the layout of the playing fields at Apex Oval it adds to the atmosphere and makes it feel like a big family gathering.”

The event is expected to inject more than $6 million into the local economy with the number of visitors potentially reaching as many as 15,000 people.

“Events like the NSW Aboriginal Knockout are further proof that Dubbo has the facilities and services to host large events that attract big crowds. This will be a great event and is another big win for the city of Dubbo,” Shields said.