Northern Territory serviceman Barkley Cooper has earned selection in the Australian Army squad for the 2026 Australian Defence Force Australian Rules (ADFAR) National Carnival.

Cooper is believed to be the first Indigenous Regional Force Surveillance Group patrolman to be selected in an Army AFL squad - a significant milestone.

The South Goulburn Island man will travel south in March next year to compete against the Air Force and Navy at the national carnival, which will be held in Naarm/Melbourne.

Cooper's call-up follows a standout performance in an exhibition match at TIO Stadium in Darwin earlier this year, where North-West Mobile Force (NORFORCE) patrolmen took on a combined side featuring American marines and AFL Masters players.

The classy forward announced himself in style by snapping the opening goal from the pocket, setting the tone for his team's win, with his speed, skill and agility quickly catching the attention of Army AFL selectors.

While the Army selection is a major achievement in itself, Cooper admitted one of the most unforgettable aspects of the experience came off the field, after meeting legendary AFL coach Kevin Sheedy, who coached the NORFORCE side on the day.

Sheedy, a four-time premiership coach with Essendon and former mentor and three-time premiership player at Richmond, travelled north to lead the exhibition side after being approached through connections within AFL Northern Territory.

Established in 1986 to foster Australian rules football across the Defence Force, the ADFAR carnival has evolved into one of the ADF's premier sporting events, with selection regarded as the highest honour in service footy.

The nation's top ADF footballers converge from across Australia for the carnival, where Army, Navy and Air Force go head-to-head in the Men's and Women's championships to claim ADFAR supremacy.

The tournament culminates with the ADF All-Stars - selected from the best players across all three services - taking on the Australian Combined Emergency Services in the ANZAC Cup clash at Adelaide Oval.

It had been more than 20 years since the NORFORCE soldiers laced up their footy boots in an official capacity.

In June, the team reformed for the Barunga Festival, one of the Northern Territory's biggest Indigenous cultural and sporting events.

NORFORCE Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Cooper said the opportunity to reconnect the regiment with football had been invaluable.

"The objective for NORFORCE is increasing our readiness (and) creating fitter, stronger and healthier patrolmen because surveillance and reconnaissance to protect country up here is hard yakka," he told the Department of Defence's website.

"We don't just bring the boys in to play footy, we connect them with the medical system and use the opportunity for military training.

"We want to continue using footy and the love of the national game to reinforce that culture of readiness and high performance."