Rugby union has taken Glen Ella all over the world but in the coming weeks the former Wallaby will get to parts of his own state he's never seen before.
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Ella will be part of Rugby Australia's #dreamBigTime program from next week, a talent ID tour designed to unearth Indigenous talent around the country and find a future Australian Sevens Olympic star.
The tour will start in Bathurst and Orange next Monday before stopping in at Nyngan on Thursday, March 28.
The two-week tour will then stop at the likes of Walgett, Brewarrina and Wilcannia before before going through South Australia and the Northern Territory and finishing at Alice Springs.
"That's where a high population of Aboriginal people are and I haven't been to a lot of those towns like Brewarrina and Bourke," Ella said.
"I'm so excited to go out and meet the mob and chat to them but also we're certainly looking for those good players to give them a chance."
The tour through NSW, South Australia and Northern Territory is one of three planned by Rugby Australia in order to reach all corners of the country.
Following the three road trips the top 130 players will be flown to Sydney for a four-day camp in July where their skills will be put to the test in front of a panel of national coaches.
Two squads of 20 will then be chosen to represent two First Nations Sevens sides which will compete in five domestic and two international tournaments.
"We've got the chance to promote union to Aboriginal and remote communities and who knows what type of talent we'll find," Ella said.
"You look at the AFL and NRL and they've got a large percentage of Aboriginal players and there's not enough in union.
"Aboriginal people play that quite exciting style and rugby is a global game and Olympic game with the sevens."
The long-term goal of the project is to have at least two players join the Australian Sevens squads for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Having Indigenous people involved in the sport which he loves and gave him so much is something Ella is passionate about, especially as he and his brothers Mark and Gary were some of only a handful of Aboriginal players at the peak of the game in the early 1980s.
"It was mainly a private school game but me and my brothers had played league and we were fortunate the school we were at played union," Ella said.
"We need to be mindful there is so much talent and kids in these remote areas who are not exposed to the top level.
"We might be able to find the next Kurtley Beale, Maurice Longbottom or Mahalia Murphy."
Rugby Australia's High-Performance team is expecting to engage more than 500 players aged 14-25 on the first trip. "We've got to give kids a chance and this just can't be a one-off. It's got to be repetitive," Ella said.
The session will run at Nyngan from 3pm until 5.30pm at Larkin Oval on Thursday.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
