In the small Indigenous community of Cherbourg in southern Queensland, it can be tough to motivate children to attend school regularly. 

Many of the local kids know little or nothing of the world beyond the town and its population of 2,500,  or the opportunities available to them a few hundred kilometres away in Brisbane.

This year the Brisbane Lions, in conjunction with the AFL Indigenous rounds, decided they wanted to do something to help bridge the gap. 

With this in mind, they recently visited Cherbourg State School and introduced a group of young students to the game of AFL. 

Frank Malone, the school’s success coach, said sport was the perfect medium for giving kids motivation to behave.

“If they misbehave here, I say, 'If you do that on the footy field, what would happen to you? Would you be punished? … it’s exactly the same in school',” Mr Malone said.

“It’s just keeping them on track you know and just encouraging them each time that they start to feel down.”

While most children in the town are born and bred on rugby league, deputy principal Carly Lindbeck welcomed the partnership program with the Brisbane Lions.

Mr Malone said both the boys and girls adapted quickly to playing Aussie rules, but there was a catch for anyone who wanted to attend.

“Our criteria was for students who hadn’t been suspended multiple times, and who have a regular 75 to 80 per cent attendance for the term,” Ms Lindbeck said.  

The perks continued for students who met the requirements, and most of the children in years 4, 5 and 6 rose to the occasion. 

Last weekend, they were bussed down to Brisbane and given front row seats at the Gabba to watch the Lions play the GWS Giants.

They were even invited to take to the field at half time to show off their new skills. 

“We’ve seen a couple of kids that have really reflected, and they’ve really worked hard towards it which is great to see them achieving that,” Ms Lindbeck said.

“Most of them are quite naturally athletic and [it’s important] to show them that there’s another world out there,” she said.  

She said the successful students even got to meet Indigenous players they had come to idolise during their participation in the program. 

The privilege of being a role model is not lost on Lions star Charlie Cameron, who gave the kids a pair of football boots after the Lions' convincing win over the Giants.

Brisbane teammate Callum Ah Chee said he still remembered being in their shoes when he was a kid.

“I had a lot of Indigenous players I looked up to — and I still do,” he said. 

“Not every little Indigenous kid has a lot of support around them …  it’s good to have Indigenous role models, for young Indigenous kids to see Aboriginal faces on the TV … it’s pretty special,” Ah Chee said.

Mr Malone said for many of the Cherbourg students, this was their first trip to the city. 

“It gives them hope for the future [showing what] you can achieve if you keep trying,” he said. 

About 10 per cent of players in the AFL are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

This year, the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round runs over two weeks. 

Last weekend, as the Cherbourg kids watched, the Lions wore a guernsey designed by former premiership player and proud Gunditjmara man Chris Johnson, which featured totems of the club’s current Indigenous stars.

It’s also an untapped talent market for the code with just 7 per cent of registered AFL players at a grassroots level in Queensland identifying as Indigenous.