But these days former Australian Wallabies captain and fly-half Mark Ella AM spends more time around rugby league as the executive producer of sport at NITV.

He’s attended about 20 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockouts over the years, and seven or eight since joining the national Indigenous broadcaster.

But he’s never played.

“That’s probably one of my only regrets in sport was that I didn’t get an opportunity to play in a Koori Knockout,” he told the Daily Liberal ahead of his trip to Dubbo.

“As a kid I watched them … the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, it’s like nothing else that I experienced in my sporting career.”

Growing up in a large family in La Perouse, Ella – alongside famous brothers Glen and Gary – went against the grain in choosing union over league.

He played league from the age of 12 until about 17, before making the switch after learning to play union at Matraville High School.

He went on to become one of the sports’ all-time greats, and the first Indigenous Australian to captain the Wallabies in 1982.

“I come from, obviously, an Indigenous community and rugby wasn’t part of an Indigenous community – the rugby league was,” Ella said.

“I’ve got six brothers, hundreds of uncles and cousins and they can all say they’ve played in a Knockout.

“I wish that I could have had that experience.”

But while he hasn’t competed, Ella has still played a significant role in taking the NSW Knockout national.

NITV has been broadcasting the event for more than a decade, with more than 50 reporters, commentators, camera operators and other technicians descending on Dubbo this weekend.

They’ll broadcast all of the action from 9am until 5pm on Sunday, and the finals from 9am until 5.30pm on Monday.

“The sport is what ignites the passions from everyone … obviously the two strongest rugby league states are NSW and Queensland … but it’s something that other states, whether they follow AFL or soccer or rugby union, they can appreciate that it’s one community against another,” Ella said.

“They’re battling to be acknowledged as the best rugby league community.

“It’s been going for so long … this is the 48^th year of an Indigenous gathering. It’s unique not only in Australia but around the world.”