After appearing just 36 times for Geelong in two seasons of AFL football, Lawson Humphries said he felt a "like a bit of a fraud" in the company of superstars during the recent AFL State of Origin.

After his first season in the league, the Nyul Nyul, Oomiday, and Worrora man ran out for the Indigenous All Stars, just 12 months ago, at Optus Stadium.

Following his second season at the Cats — which included an AFL grand final berth — Humphries was again on the representative stage this month, playing for Western Australia against Victoria.

The 22-year-old's team mates included Indigenous stars Bradley Hill, Charlie Cameron, Callum Ah Chee, Kysaiah Pickett and Shai Bolton, as well as household names such as Patrick Cripps, Aaron Naughton, Liam Baker, Luke Jackson and Jesse Hogan.

The humble talent said the experience of gathering with the elite from other clubs was "a little bit weird to begin with to be honest".

"You're socialising with these guys who you have watched for a long time and idolised them," he told National Indigenous Times.

"You get to hang out with them, like go fishing or go out for a swim, and have dinner with them the whole time.

"I mean it was a really cool experience, but as I am still pretty young, those moments are pretty surreal because I kinda feeling like a bit of a fraud sitting around them."

Going crayfishing off the coast of Fremantle made Humphries feel like a fish out of water, however the opportunity gave the Cats defender a chance to feel more relaxed ahead of arguably the most intense or, at the very least, the most skilled game of his short professional career.

The silky left-footer grew up in Wickham, down the road from Karratha, a tight-knit seaside community with a high Indigenous population of barely 2000 residents.

He said the experience of catching crustaceans brought back memories of casting out a line in the Broome waterways.

"I just loved fishing growing up," Humphries said.

"I guess a lot of Aboriginal kids in communities are used to doing heaps of fishing.

"A lot of us did from Indigenous coastal towns and I always love going back to WA just to fish because it's always a connection to culture and family there."

Come match day, Humphries did not look out of place wearing the Black Swan guernsey.

The floating defender picked up 16 kicks, seven handballs, and took eight marks surrounding the masterful Vic's.

Only four of his Sandgroper teammates — Jordan Clark (27 possessions), Bradley Hill (26), Trent Rivers (24), and Shai Bolton (24) — touched the ball more during the respectable 24-point defeat.

"It was kinda cool watching it - not so much being on the end of it," Humphries said.

"I remember seeing them in a few chains (of play), all full of tricks.

"It was like the Vic's were being tricky with their hands like (Nick) Daicos to Bailey Smith and to (Zak) Butters.

"It was just such a really high standard."

Humphries backed the return of state footy and thinks the risk of the preseason fixture outweighs playing one of the AFL's match simulation trials.

Critics have argued playing an origin match was unnecessary, let alone in Perth's February heat, before the season proper commenced.

However Humphries felt he would hit the ground running for Geelong's season opener on the Gold Coast by playing in the high-stakes encounter early in the year.

"It's really good to get in a solid and intense blowout against really good competition," he said.

"I think the natural anxiousness that you get playing in front of a (large) crowd and to be able to do that early in the season is really good for you."

Humphries said the bond formed during the Indigenous All Stars' comfortable victory over Fremantle last year had a positive impact on this year's WA Origin squad.

"I definitely think those connections that was built from the Indigenous All Stars being around all the boys was really special for us," he said.

"It is something, unless we do it again and, hopefully, we do play for the Indigenous All Stars, I think it's quite unique and very special.

"I know talking to the six of us who played for the Indigenous All Stars and for WA, we all spoke very similarly about the connection that we all developed from the Indigenous All Stars.

"Don't get me wrong: the WA boys were amazing, and I love playing with Western Australia, but the Indigenous All Stars felt so special for me because of a connection to culture."

Hill, for one, appeared for much of the playing group as something of a father figure, however it was his new club teammate who Humphries felt an even stronger connection with.

"It was Liam Ryan, another St Kilda player, who I found playing with really exciting," Humphries said.

"He's a really good leader in our community, but I also just love watching him play footy, and I think he's probably the most exciting player to watch when he's up and going.

"The other player whose relations developed there last year was with Willie Rioli, quite like Liam Ryan.

"When he was up and going, he was just as exciting as anybody.

"I think both of those guys are really good guys and they like to develop a cultural relationship too and I can say I really enjoyed building those connections with them."

Humphries is taking a breath momentarily, looking back and feels he's already exceeding expectations after being selected No.63 selection via Swan Districts in the 2023 national draft.

He said the preseason appearances in his home state is a reminder of how far he's come.

"My mum is pretty good at grabbing me and making sure I remind myself that I am very lucky to be doing what I'm doing," he said.

"I feel like I try not to take it for granted.

"I often think if I was talking to my 10-year-old self kicking the ball at Wickham Oval, at all hours of the day, he would be pretty envious of what I am doing."