THIS Saturday at Rugby Park, Shoals will celebrate their rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture by hosting their first ever Indigenous round.
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The club, which will wear jerseys specially designed by Scott Webb reflecting the coastal geography of the area, will take on reigning Illawarra Rugby premiers Bowral - with second grade from 1.30pm before firsts at 3pm.
"It's a great honour to not only to represent my club but also to my Indigenous heritage," said Shoals skipper and proud Indigenous man Steven Brandon.
"It's always been great to have my brothers (Mark, Kieran, Ashley and Simon) play alongside me but for all of us to be able to represent our family, heritage and culture - it will be a highlight of my footy playing career."
The huge day at Rugby Park will also involve Webb conducting a Welcome to Country ceremony.
"Events like this are very important because I believe we can use it as a platform to encourage more Indigenous people to play rugby, especially in the Shoalhaven," Brandon said.
In terms of the first grade match, Brandon's Shoals, who are 6-10 on the year, will be out to win their final home match of the season.
"We haven't had the best season, that's no secret but we are always known for our fighting spirit and never giving up," he said.
"So to come away with a win on Saturday, would give us a lot of encouragement and give our home crowd a promise that we will be back better than ever next year."