Last Saturday, I arrived at Pritcher Park in Alphington to see the AFL Inclusion Cup (for people with intellectual disabilities) and beheld the solid figure of Ali Faraj. Who is Ali Faraj? Giants CEO David Matthews says Ali Faraj is no less important to the AFL and the Giants in Western Sydney than star player Jeremy Cameron.

I first met Faraj and his sidekick Emad Elkheir a couple of years ago when I was involved with the AFL's half-Israeli, half-Palestinian Peace team. I heard Faraj give a pre-match address to the Palestinian players in Arabic. You didn't have to speak the language to get the tempo and urgency of what was being said, to understand that the speaker was a natural footy orator.

Emad Elkheir and Ali Faraj

Faraj, 32, is a genial man who trained as a primary school teacher. David Matthews describes him as one of the few individuals who can capture people's attention at a meeting when Kevin Sheedy's also in the room. "He speaks with such energy and passion on a range of topics," Matthews says. "Time spent with Ali is never wasted."

Faraj wears a topi cap. Sometimes, he wears a jellabiya. He’s a Muslim. He's also an Aussie. "Can't you tell by my accent?" he laughs. Both Faraj's parents and Elkheir's emigrated from Lebanon, but neither has ever visited that country. "We're from here," says Elkheir, a small man with a quiet smile who trained as a physical education teacher. "We're Aussies; we love our footy, we love our snags, we love our barbecues." The pair attended Granville Boys' High School.