That week is Indigenous Round, an important festival of football for the proud Nughi Nunukul man.

This year, however, Kerr finds himself on the outside looking in, not named in the Dragons 17 for Sunday's clash with the Bulldogs.

Read more: Jack Bird signs extension with St George Illawarra Dragons

It's an exclusion that cuts the Queenslander to the bone, Kerr desperate to represent his heritage and wear St George Illawarra's special Indigenous jersey.

That disappointment is set to motivate the forward in his quest to return to the first-grade side.

"It hurts," Kerr said. "Getting to pick the jersey but not getting to wear it.

"If I did get an opportunity, I'll definitely take it with both hands. I think the blokes [Griffin's] picked this week, they're going to do a job and I can't wait to see them run out and hopefully run all over the Bulldogs."

Kerr hasn't played NRL since round six, the likes of Francis Molo and Blake Lawrie making an impact in the top-flight.

Since then, coach Anthony Griffin has challenged Kerr to prove he's too good for reserve grade.

"At the moment he's given me some goals to go back to NSW Cup and reach," Kerr said. "I reckon I've been hitting them, I reckon I've been playing well.

"I'm very happy with where I'm at with my footy. I obviously want to play NRL again and I feel I can do that."

Griffin has made just one change to this week's team, Andrew McCullough returning from a thumb injury. The hooker has been named on the bench, at the expense of Jayden Sullivan.

Indigenous All Star Tyrell Fuimaono will also start from the interchange in jumper No.17.

Like Kerr, Fuimaono looks forward to this weekend every year and the Wiradjuri forward is determined to do his clan proud.

"I look forward to Indigenous Round every year, the jersey, the people, what it represents," Fuimaono said.

"The players have an influence on what the jersey's going to be. They leave it up to the community to submit their prints and it allows people from our community to display their talent.

"Allowing us to feel connected with the jersey, allowing the boys to pick it is real inclusive and acceptance of our culture.

"That's definitely something me and the current players try to endorse, that acceptance. The other boys are keen to embrace it as well. They're not Indigenous, but they all love the jersey and wear it with pride, so it's pretty special to us."

The Dragons have made significant strides towards supporting Indigenous people in recent years.

A group of First Nations players will travel to the Royal National Park on Wednesday for a cultural ceremony.

The focus isn't purely on this week, however, the club following a Reconciliation Action Plan that ensures they are committed year-round.

That sees St George Illawarra players and officials work closely with local Indigenous groups to provide support and make regular educational visits to schools.

Kerr has spent the past six years at the club and he's proud of the progress the Dragons have made.

"The Dragons, what they do with their Indigenous culture is paving the way for all other NRL clubs," Kerr said. "I hope other clubs jump on board sooner rather than later.

"When I first came here, the Dragons probably weren't there. They were just doing what every other club did, but I think they decided to go above and beyond what others do.

"I've been here 6.5 years now and over that time I've been part of building a process of what we can do away from the football field with the community. It's been a really big honour to be able to play a part in helping build that relationship in the community."

To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.