Sporting mentors for at-risk young people could help break the cycle of crime sweeping Australia's regional centres.
The "outside the box" initiative involves the NRL partnering with NSW Police to recruit young people in towns across the state.
Moree, a small northern NSW town, will be used as a possible blueprint for change.
Michael Porter, 15, participated in a pilot of the Pathfinder program and said it gave him an opportunity to meet new people and gain job skills.
"There's not much to do for young people (in Moree)," he said.
Critics say that new bail laws will disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Source: South Sydney Rabbitohs
"I hope to find a career in it, just for the new generation to see there's more than just the Ridge," the 16-year-old said.
Premier Chris Minns has met with town leaders to jump-start the program while continuing his pitch and a suite of regional crime measures to curb a sharp rise in violent incidents.
The new laws will make it harder for offenders aged 14 to 18 to get bail if they commit a crime while already on bail.
When he announced the new bail laws Mr Minns conceded that they would lead to more kids in prison.
"I'm being honest, I think it will lead to increased incarceration, but our hope is in the long run, with intervention and support, that changes," he said.
"Initiatives like this one offer hope and an alternative," he told reporters in Moree on Wednesday.
"You can't be what you can't see and if young people in Moree see an NRL player in the peak of his or her game they can imagine what's possible for them."
The Aboriginal Legal Service says locking kids up isn't the solution. Source: South Sydney Rabbitohs
The Aboriginal Legal Service said more than half of the 4393 children sent to prison in 2023 were Indigenous.
"If jailing kids worked, we would have seen it by now," the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
So-called "post and boast" provisions were also introduced, adding an extra two-year maximum penalty for anyone who stole a vehicle or committed a break-in and shared material to advertise their crimes.
Moree Mayor Mark Johnson is optimistic pairing young people with an NRL mentor and unique access to the sport will deter kids from a life of crime.
Chris Minns met with NRL players Premier Chris Minns and town leaders to jump-start the program. Source: South Sydney Rabbitohs
"We have 54 agencies across town from health and education to youth crime and drug and rehab but we're getting the same result.
"We're not seeing any reduction in the level of youth crime."
Another pilot program is being run in Moree, where $13.4 million will be spent on provisions such as extra judicial resources, the Aboriginal Legal Service and a bail accommodation and support service for young people.
Initiatives should be about helping to break the cycle of crime, Aboriginal community-led and Moree-based organisation Just Reinvest said.
"Incarceration (is) like a revolving door with the same dangerous behaviours passing on to the next generation," manager Thomas Duncan said.
But Mr Minns said the government had struck the right balance.
Cr Johnson said he knew there was no silver-bullet solution to local crime.
"We can't jail our way out of this," he said, calling on agencies to work together to maintain programs that keep kids active and engaged.
