There are now more smiles on faces in Inverell and its surrounds after young Sydney Swans stars Ryley Stoddart and Jackson Thurlow visited a region struck with blazing week-long fires.

As part of the 2019 AFL Community Camps on Wednesday, the two up-and-coming Sydney defenders spent an hour with students from Gilgai Public School and Ross Hill Public School, many of whom had been rattled by raging fires at Tingha Plateau.

The visit from Stoddart and Thurlow saw them run the students through fun training drills, sign autographs and take photos sure to be cherished.

Gilgai Public School principal Lachlan Stewart said it meant a lot to all students and teachers for Stoddart and Thurlow to greet the community.

“We definitely had quite a few who were unsettled by what had happened, so it was nice to have something like that with the Swans players – for not only the students but the whole community,” Stewart told Swans Media.

“It gave everyone something positive to focus on and something to look forward to. It made a big difference, so it was a great thing to do.”