A couple of weeks ago Will Smith helped carry the hopes of Parramatta Eels fans across the country as they competed in their first NRL finals series since 2009.

This weekend he will be carrying the hopes of his family and friends as he proudly pulls on the jersey of the Newcastle All Blacks in the 47th annual Koori Knockout at Sydney's Leichardt Oval.

Starting in 1971, the rugby league carnival is one of the largest gatherings of Indigenous people in the country. Approximately 145 teams will contest for titles in the men's, women's, under 12s, 15s and 17s competitions.

The Redfern All Blacks, the oldest Aboriginal rugby league team in Australia, hold both the men's and women's titles.

But this event is about much more than rugby league.

The Redfern All Blacks, including Josh Addo-Carr, won the 2016 Koori Knockout. ( AAP: Brendan Esposito )

Ask anyone who has been involved and they will likely say it is a modern-day Corroboree. It is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people coming together to share their love of the sport, culture and each other.

Teams represent the areas where they come from with a strong sense of passion and pride. The two words that come to mind when describing the Knockout are "family" and "community".

How does the Koori Knockout work? 56 men's teams

56 men's teams 26 women's teams

26 women's teams 53 junior teams

53 junior teams Squads of 25 players

Squads of 25 players Unlimited interchange

Unlimited interchange Round games are 20 minutes per half

Round games are 20 minutes per half Semi-finals 30 minutes per half

Semi-finals 30 minutes per half Grand final 40 minutes per half

Just weeks after their disappointing exit from the NRL finals, Smith said he finds it difficult to describe how the feeling of playing for his people compares with playing as a professional.

"It's hard to explain when somebody asks you but it's so exciting … to represent where you are from, where you grew up and all your family," he said.

"This is the best time of the year for our people, even if you are not playing, just going to the Knockout and seeing all your people in the one place."

Smith's team, the Newcastle All Blacks, have been the runners-up of the men's tournament for the past three years. He admits the losses are tough to take as the effort required just to make the final of the Knockout is physically and mentally exhausting.

This year will be a milestone for the team.

Thirty years ago, in 1987, his father Edward Smith was a part of the title-winning Newcastle All Blacks squad. It is the only time the team has won the tournament.

Edward has been involved in the Knockout since 1974 when he was a ballboy. He still remembers the 1987 title win and has noticed how the tournament has changed over the years.

"It was the first time Newcastle really won it. In the years when we first started we were called the 'easybeats'," Edward said.

The history of the Koori Knockout is long and famed. Pictured is one of the Newcastle All Blacks' teams of the 1980s. ( Supplied: Carol Smith )

"It was a great feeling, Newcastle was one team back then, but it's still passionate. It's faster, it's fitness now and you have a lot of young fellas playing NRL and all that."

While winning the All Blacks the historic title back then was a monumental moment for Edward, he said it was hard to top the moment he ran out alongside son Will for the first time in 2009.

"It was the best feeling playing with my son. I think he was looking after me," he said.

Smith remembers the moment described by his father when he had to step in as his protector.

"There was one time there where he copped a high shot — you get a few of them — and I just lost the plot and I think I may have punched someone," he said with a laugh.

"But being able to pull your boots on with your hero, you know that you are safe on the field with your dad.

"I was in the halves and he was in the forwards so I had to tell him what to do. I had to step back for a minute and think 'what are you saying? Listen to who you are talking to'."

Will Smith says playing with father Edward was a career highlight. ( Supplied )

Playing the game he loves alongside his father was a special moment for Smith, who says his dad has been by his side from day one on his rugby league journey.

"He has always been there in my ear and pushing me, always making sure I knew that I needed to make sacrifices to be where I wanted to be in my career," he said.

"I think I started doing road runs with him when I was four years old, at like 6:00am in the morning. He never forced me, but I wanted to do it and he has helped me from there."

Even more special for the family is that while father Edward has hung up the boots, this year he will be watching on as Smith gets to play alongside his younger brother Matt for the first time.

Overwhelming passion and pride

All Blacks co-captain Jacob Briggs is one of five brothers who play in the team. His father Robbie was also a part of that famous win 30 years ago. When representing his community, Jacob gets overwhelmed by the pride he feels.

"I look and see my son, daughters, partner, mum and dad all sitting there. You get tears in your eyes before you run onto the field," he said.

"It's an awesome feeling, every game before I run out I always shed a tear. I have to. It's just how I am. I have too much passion and pride."

The Koori Knockout is all about family for Jacob, Isaac, Robbie, Randall and Scott Briggs. ( Supplied: The Dreaming Photography )

If there is one thing that is visible from watching the games it is exactly that. In all competitions, players play with their hearts on their sleeve, fighting until the final play of the game so their communities may continue further into the tournament.

At times passion boils over and things become heated.

Smith said after three straight defeats in the finals, finally winning the title would be an experience beyond words.

"I think I would be speechless if we won, I wouldn't know what to do or what to say," he said.

"As a little kid you grow up and watch your uncles and your dad and older cousins play Knockout, and I remember back when I was a ballboy for the Newcastle Emus — whenever they lost I cried. It means so much."

The Koori Knockout runs from Friday September 29 to Monday October 2, 2017 at Leichardt Oval and is run by the Redfern All Blacks Rugby League Club.