West Coast young guns Nic Naitanui and Ashton Hams thrilled youngsters when they made a special appearance at last week’s Multicultural Carnival.

Organised as part of a community participation initiative in conjunction with the West Australian Football Commission and Department of Sport and Recreation, the carnival welcomed more than 350 multicultural students from six primary schools, all eager to try their hand at Australia’s indigenous game.

Naitanui and Hams exchanged smiles, laughs and words of wisdom with the students, not only about how to kick a football, but also about the importance of having a go, fair play and team work.

While for many it was the first time they had laid hands on a footy, Naitanui was full of praise for the youngsters.

“It’s good to see a lot of kids from different cultures having a crack,” Naitanui said.

“I think I spent about half an hour in the tackling bags and after a while in the heat I thought they would get sick of it but they just loved it.

“It was an enjoyable afternoon and I’m looking forward to the next one.

“It’s great to see the boys and girls want to play the game, so hopefully we’ll see some of them running around for the Eagles one day.”

The annual Multicultural Carnival aims to ‘grow the game’ of AFL, inspiring young players’ interests in Auskick, as well as family participation into local community football clubs.