The Melbourne Storm's greatest ever indigenous player Greg Inglis will be welcomed back to the club, with the club making a request to host the opening fixture of the round on a yearly basis.
The NRL have made plenty of yearly event style games in the draw, with the Storm hosting one of them on ANZAC Day against the New Zealand Warriors.
While the St George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters also clash on that day, the NRL has also made a habit of hosting games on Good Friday, Easter Monday and the Queen's Birthday.
With the Storm preparing an enormous pre-game show for Thursday night's clash against the Manly Sea Eagles, club CEO Justin Rodski told club media that he wants to make Indigenous Round a real event.
"We hope to launch Indigenous Round each year. We will be requesting this fixture with the NRL, and believe we can play an important role in celebrating indigenous round as a club," Rodski said.
“Storm has a proud history of Indigenous players who have provided many highlights over the years and represented their people and culture with great pride,” Rodski said.
“We have a national platform to recognise and celebrate our indigenous players but more importantly we want to highlight our First Nations peoples and the club’s commitment to reconciliation and education.
“The pre-match ceremony, Welcome to Country and cultural performances will be a powerful and moving experience to be a part of, and similar to our ANZAC Day blockbuster, we strongly encourage our members and fans to be in your seat early.”
“The return of GI will be very emotional given the place he holds with our club and the role he has played in the NRL and the community more broadly."
As the storm celebrate Earth's oldest living culture, Greg Inglis will be making an appearance before his former Melbourne Storm face off against their rival Manly Sea Eagles on Thursday.
The QueenslandMaroons and Australian Kangaroos legend isn't the only big name making an appearance. ARIA nominated artist Emily Wurramara will perform a special pre-game ceremony. While, taking a leaf out of the NFL SuperBowl book, Yorta Yorta Singer and songwriter Scott Darlow will perform at halftime.
The special pre-game show will also feature a light show, Welcome To Country, Smoking Ceremony, indigenous performances and a tribute to Inglis.
Playing 118 games for the Storm, Inglis was a superstar for the Purple and Gold across his six seasons. His 78 tries and overall performance were key reasons the team made the finals each year he was with them.
