Anyone involved in the annual event can tell you that.

People in Dubbo were lucky enough to witness in twice this decade, with the carnival bringing thousands of people to Apex Oval and surrounds in 2015 and 2018.

The first edition was the most special for many, as it was organised and run by the Walgett Aboriginal Connection.

There was excitement, drama, and incredible rugby league in the juniors', women's, and men's competitions.

The 2015 Koori Knockout, next up in our Moments That Mattered series.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Shortly after Walgett Aboriginal Connection (WAC) won the 2014 knockout it was announced the next year's edition would be heading to Dubbo.

The winning team always chooses where the next carnival goes and Matt Rose, WAC captain and committee member, said he thought the Dubbo carnival was "going to be one of the biggest and best".

Comments from the likes of former NRL stars Dean Widders and Nathan Merritt after the carnival was run and won proved it lived up to the hype.

The action on the field during the knockout, played over the October long weekend, was stunning and it culminated in one of the greatest grand finals in the competition's almost five-decade long history.

After three days of stellar games across all divisions - including a fiery and bone-crunching contest between the hosts and Griffith Three Ways United - it came down to the Redfern All Blacks and Newcastle All Blacks.

WAC playing in the decider in their home knockout would have been special, but the Redfern-Newcastle clash proved to be unforgettable.

After being down 22-6 at half-time a spirited Redfern fought back in the second stanza and a penalty goal from 49m out on full-time sent the match to golden point extra-time.

In the second period Redfer swung the ball to the right and Jonathon Wright, an NRL regular playing with the New Zealand Warriors at the time, planted it down to set off wild celebrations.

"There's no words to describe this and it means a lot to me," Wright said after the 36-32 victory, tears flowing down his face.

"I've played over 110 NRL games but my Dad is one of the founders of the Knockout and he won 11 of these and all I wanted to do as a boy was to win one of them.

"I've been playing these since I was a little kid and all I wanted to do was win one of these and an NRL premiership."

Merritt, a true fan favourite who scored Redfern's first try, was also incredibly emotional after the win and said it was the best knockout victory he had experienced.

"This is the ultimate for me," he said.

"This is a massive weekend for us Indigenous people and our communities and to come here this weekend and have 63 teams and be the last one standing and take the grand final win is a wonderful feeling.

"This is my sixth one but this is the sweetest one and the one I love the most because it's been nine years since my last one and I'm enjoying myself."

It's not just what happened on the park which Rose remembers fondly now.

It's much more than that.

"Unless you're really connected you might not know the prestige of the knockout," the WAC man said.

"There's only been 49 knockouts in history and we've been lucky to win six. That's pretty crazy to think about for a little place like Walgett.

"It's probably the biggest thing you can do in an Aboriginal community."

While the community engagement and cultural significance was hugely special, there is one match outside the incredible final which sticks in Rose's mind.

While WAC didn't get to title win in 2015, the clash with Griffith Three Ways was a brutal affair as the Rose brothers and Fifita brothers went head-to-head.

"It was incredible. Our game against Griffith is still talked about today," Rose said.

"We ran out and the ground was full because people from the other three grounds had come to have a look.

"I think we took it out of Griffith and stopped them winning it, as well.

"And then it was special in the final."

Those in attendance got to see a huge amount of stars take to the field in Dubbo.

One of the other special things about the knockout is its ability to put bush footy players on the same field as NRL greats and it was true in 2015 as the likes of Merritt, Wright, Widders, the Fifitas, George Rose, Timana Tahu, Josh Addo-Carr, James Roberts and many, many more all took part.

The crowds were huge, with more than 15,000 people taking in the action across four days of play, and that injected an estimated $6.6 million into the local economy.

But even those eye-catching figures weren't as important as what the people involved in the knockout got to experience.

"It was the first time the knockout had been here in a long time and it was the first time we'd played at Apex since the redevelopment," Rose said.

"It's a fabulous event and the feedback we got from a lot of the teams was quite special and it was something we held dear to us at the time."

The biggest aspect of the knockout was how memorable it was.

The WAC-Griffith game, the final, the quality of some future Jillaroos in the women's competition.

It had it all.

But the feedback Rose and those from within WAC got in regards to how the event was run was something which meant the most.

"I think each year the knockout gets better but I think ours in 2015, in terms of administration, organisation, and a really high standard, I think it's something others have tried to achieve because we set the bar so high," Rose said.

"It was a very special time and was highly significant.

"There's a large population of Aboriginal people in western NSW and they could go and be represented and attend the knockout."

Nothing proved the success of the knockout like the moment two years later when the Newcastle Yowies announced they would be taking their carnival to Apex Oval.

The Yowies couldn't find anywhere suitable in Newcastle to hold the event, and given the accessibility, quality of facilities in Dubbo, and the passion of the fans the choice was made with little hesitation.

"Dubbo has really delivered," Yowies' Abi Wright said after that 2008 knockout.

"It's been a huge influx of of benefits for the community itself.

"The businesses have all benefited, everyone in Dubbo and the surrounding towns have benefited and ... we have got a great reception for all of our mob that's come from all over the state and Queensland and Victoria."

"[Dubbo] is the centre of the state, it's a huge regional centre for western NSW, there's a huge Aboriginal population around this area ... it's a great venue ... so why not?

"It is the perfect place to host the knockout carnival."