Phil Davis hailed the uniting quality of sport and also the work of the Dubbo Demons while in town on Friday.
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The GWS Giants great took part in a number of school and community visits before rubbing shoulders with a horde of local juniors during a clinic at South Dubbo Oval.
As well as promoting his sport, Davis was eager to put a smile on the faces of some fans who may be doing it tough during the ongoing drought.
"To get out here and support the community now is great," he said.
"With the [lack of] rain there's been a few complications, especially for sport, but I'm passionate about sport in general, no matter what.
"Be it rugby league or rugby union, but it's great to see AFL growing out here."
The uniting nature of sport is something which all athletes can relate to and while Davis never grew up or lived in a rural area, he knows the power of coming together and staying active.
It's something which has been special to him in a professional career of close to a decade, one which started with the Adelaide Crows before going to a new level with the Giants.
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One of the standout defensive players in the AFL, Davis was proud to be part of something which unites.
"Even in larger cities like Canberra, Adelaide, or Sydney there is that sense of community that comes with it and no matter what your weeks look like it can all come together whether it's at training or game day and you can be together," he said.
"I always find I lose track of whatever else is happening in my life when I'm playing, it's a great community builder and I just love sport."
Davis, one of the first signings at the Giants back in 2011, also loved seeing so many young players getting into the game on Friday.
The clinic, run by a number of GWS and AFL Central West figures, was for juniors aged 4-17 and they all got the chance to hone their skills in a number of drills and games.
The 29-year-old Davis had spent time running school children through some activities earlier in the day while he also got to spend time at the home of Phil and Liz Sutton, hearing about the huge amount of time they put into the sport at a local level.
They and many others, headed by Merinda Roll, have helped the junior program in the city grow in recent times.
"They've got four boys there and they [Phil and Liz] are both super busy with work but they stay up until all hours making banners for grand finals and try to recruit people and it's so important clubs like the Demons are able to do what they do," Davis said.
"It's great to provide opportunity for kids whether they're playing league, union, soccer, or AFL.
"Clubs like this do an amazing job spreading the word and I've seen Aussie Rules grow so much in my time in our [Giants'] area, and that includes Dubbo, and all parts of western Sydney and up north and south and it's growing.
"We're not trying to kick off other codes, we're just another option and an option that I think is the best sport in the world."