The grin through the mouthguard says it all.
Days like these are the ones kids spend all week looking forward to. They sit up - and push their bedtime beyond its regular time - to watch the AFL's biggest stars take centre stage on a Friday night.
Then kids from all over Canberra jump in the car on a Saturday morning, dreaming of doing the same.
Welcome to Googong's Rockley Oval, where 20 teams across the under 8s and under 9s age groups arrived to run amok on Saturday.
The Weston Creek Wildcats fielded five teams in the under 8s Superkick southside program, alongside three from the Queanbeyan Tigers, three from Tuggeranong Valley, and one from Eastlake.
The ACT and NSW led the national tally in total AFL Superkick participants last year, with more kids aged seven to 12 taking part in the program than anywhere else in Australia, and officials say that figure has risen again this year.
In a matter of months those same kids will be taking the leap into a more structured under 9s competition, which sees contact slowly introduced into the game with a wrap and release rule before tackling is implemented for under 11s and above.
Queanbeyan, Weston Creek, Eastlake and Tuggeranong field two sides each in the under 9s south competition this year, while Ainslie [two teams], Gungahlin [two], the Belconnen Magpies, and Belconnen Cats field teams in the north.
AFL Canberra officials are keen to continue to build participation numbers, a push aided by the ACT government's long-term agreement with the GWS Giants to bring games to Manuka Oval.
"It's really evident to see our membership numbers growing each year, just with the work we do out, whether it be out in western Sydney or down in Canberra," Giants prospect and Canberra product Logan Smith tod The Canberra Times earlier this month.
"It just builds a great community, kind of feels like a big country club, I guess. We're trying to build that family picture around the club. It's great.
"It's also great with the Giants academy. That gives younger kids like myself down in Canberra, down in southern parts of NSW, a chance to really live out their dream."
