It's back, and not a moment too soon for Indigenous All Stars leader Jarman Impey.

The All Stars' return, a decade since the side's last match, was first seeded back in December, 2022, at the AFLPA Indigenous and Multicultural Player Summit.

Fast forward a little over two years, and the Indigenous All Stars are set to return in an exhibition match against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday.

For Impey, who played in the last Indigenous All Stars match back in 2015, the speed with which the suggestion became reality was a little surprising.

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"Did we think it was going to happen so quick? Probably not, is the short answer," Impey said upon arrival at Perth airport for Saturday's match.

"But I know for a fact that behind the scenes, there's a lot of players that have really wanted this game to happen, and it was just a matter of time, of when but also where … But I really think it wasn't just the players, I think it was board members who wanted to see this game, and community, and the AFL themselves, and staff.

"So, there were a lot of people that put their hand up."

As well as playing in the last Indigenous All Stars match, Impey was part of the Boomerangs squad in 2012 in which he recalls hitting up champion players Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli.

"I was very nervous kicking to a Cyril Rioli and a Buddy Franklin," Impey said.

"I'm quite nervous (this year) to miss the target of Bradley Hill because I might get screamed at. No, but there's so many players out there that I can't wait to deliver the ball to and even put on a block for them so they can run down the wing and have a couple of bounces."

Being named as part of the leadership group is an honour for Impey, who was led by fellow former-Port Adelaide and Hawthorn star Shaun Burgoyne back in the 2015 edition, but his bigger role is to ensure the All Stars side defends well against Fremantle on Saturday.

"Well, I am a defender, so I might have to tell the boys 'Come back, come back, don't go off and run forward and try to kick a goal'," Impey laughed.

"If you do kick a goal, there's a bit of a song behind it as well, so I think the boys are going to be very excited getting up the field and trying to score, but I'll be the one to tell them to come back and defend first and play there."

And although it is technically an exhibition game, the will to win is absolutely still burning in all the selected players.

"We are competitors. At the end of the day, we're quite competitive so I think once a goal has been kicked, or a hard tackle has been earned, the competitive juices will come out too," Impey said.

The full Toyota Indigenous All Stars squad is:

Callum Ah Chee – Noongar, Palyku and Nyikina, Yawuru
Karl Amon - Noonuccal
Shai Bolton - Minang and Wilman
Jase Burgoyne – Kokatha, Larrakia, Warai
Charlie Cameron – Waanyi and Lardil
Jeremy Finlayson - Yorta Yorta
Jade Gresham - Yorta Yorta
Joel Hamling - Yorta Yorta
Bobby Hill – Whadjuk, Ballardong, Noongar
Brad Hill – Wilmen, Noongar
Jason Horne-Francis - Wardaman
Lawson Humphries - Nyul Nyul, Oomiday, Worrora
Jarman Impey - Yorta Yorta
Joel Jeffrey – Kukatj, Wulwulam
Ash Johnson – Jaru, Kija
Liam Jones – Kija*
Tim Kelly – Noongar, Wongi, Yamatji
Coen Livingstone – Balardong, Noongar
Ben Long – Anmatjerre
Steven May - Larrakia
Jesse Motlop - Larrakia
Alex Pearce - Palawa*
Kysaiah Pickett – Yamatji, Noongar
Izak Rankine - Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri
Willie Rioli – Tiwi
Maurice Rioli - Tiwi
Liam Ryan – Yamatji
Jy Simpkin - Yorta Yorta
Tyson Stengle – Wirangu
Michael Walters – Whadjuk, Wilmen and Ngarrindjeri
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – Kokatha, Narangga
Zac Williams – Wiradjuri
*since been injured, won't play