“What he did, captaining the Jets to a grand final win – the first time ever an indigenous footballer of any code has done that – was amazing,” Dodd told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“I’m sure it is a source of great pride.”

North, 26, from Taree on the mid north coast of NSW, has enjoyed a breakthrough season in Australia. This culminated in a commanding defensive performance for Australia in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier for the Socceroos in China.

North’s coolness under pressure and clean distribution shone alongside West Ham’s Lucas Neil and Bundesliga based Michael Beauchamp.

Despite not playing against Qatar in the Socceroos’ first qualifier in February, the Jets star remained in the mix. And after a string of injuries, that admiration culminated in the former Brisbane Striker being picked by Pim Verbeek on Wednesday.

North played the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw. The only other A-League player – Melbourne’s Archie Thompson – limped off inside the first ten minutes.

Dodd, himself a Socceroo, hopes North will inspire more indigenous kids in the future. “They seem to have played Rugby League and AFL – they’ve been encouraged to play those codes," he said.

The FFA has stated in its recently released National Football Development Plan that it is committed to expanding existing indigenous programs through existing member federations.

“I hope the FFA looks at ways to encourage more indigenous kids to play football,” added Dodd.

However, North may not be around to inspire indigenous kids for much longer. He stated in Singapore last week his wish to play overseas and this performance may just have convinced some overseas clubs that North can make the step up.