Gippsland teenager Tayla Walsh loves sport, but netball holds a particularly special place in her heart.
"For me as a person, it's helped me grow," Ms Walsh told SBS World News.
"Over the years I've been so shy, but now I can finally be confident in myself. There's not many people in this world who are confident in what they say, and everybody should be confident."
Tayla was among a handful of young Indigenous women who travelled to Melbourne to take part in the Laguntas Sisters Netball Program, a joint venture by Netball Victoria and the Korin Gamadji Institute (KGI), which operates from the headquarters of the Richmond Football Club.
Its aim is to engage and encourage Aboriginal youth to not only develop their fitness, but learn the importance of teamwork, leadership and cultural identity.
Netball player Elaine Osei-Safo said the girls were encouraged to put their newly found skills into practice within their communities, which stretch from Morewell to Mildura.
"Being part of a team environment, you're supported by other people and you have to support them as well," she said.
"You also have to take initiative both on the court and off the court, and be there for your team and leading by example."
While the program has a strong netball focus, it also includes elements of Indigenous storytelling and traditional dance.
The Tigers have been making headlines with their historic premiership win this past weekend, but KGI program manager Thara Brown highlighted how the club has made an effort to reach out to those who don't usually get as much coverage.
"To be changemakers [the girls have to] challenge statistics of not only Aboriginal people, but women," she said.
"Obviously, we're underepresented in sport and in leadership positions, so sport is a really good outlet for them to start feeling empowered."
For Tayla Walsh, the bond the participants shared ran deep.
"I've made a lot of friends," she said. "Not only can I call them friends, I can call them family."
