But touch football's Junior State Cup will always hold a special place in his heart.

So it held extra meaning for Soward to be at Jubilee Park in Wagga on Friday as an ambassador at the southern conference event.

"Two of my best mates I met in Wagga playing touch. They've been my best mates for 25 years," Soward said.

"We won a Junior State Cup. We were the first Wagga team to win a title. That was the under 18s in 2001. John Ryan was the coach. We had Gary Dowling, myself, Andrew Baggio... there were nine of us who went away. It's just the best memories."

Soward was reflecting on the sport in his role as ambassador for the big event.

NSW Touch split the state tournament into two last year with Wagga the heart of the southern conference for at least three years.

"I think this is outstanding," Soward said, taking in the carnival atmosphere amid thousands of aspiring stars thriving in the game.

Touch has its own pathways and following but Soward says as a base, it's as important for rugby league as it ever was.

"The next generation of league, if you want to succeed, you have to play touch," he said.

"That sharpness you get from touch and the fitness and skill level you have to have to be elite at touch is what can carry you on. Look at Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Shaun Johnson, Matt Moylan, they all had touch backgrounds."

It's a strong sentiment from a man whose NRL career spanned a decade, beginning at the Roosters in 2005 and ending at Penrith in 2016.

Passion was Soward's trademark and touch remains one of them.

"It's such a fun sport. Everyone can play it. I played touch my whole life, except when I was at the NRL because I didn't want to get injured. Now that I'm fat and retired I get the chance to play a bit more," Soward said.

"These tournaments, the camaraderie you get out of it - hanging out together, being able to play together, watching other teams and you get that whole pack mentality," he said.

Wagga sides embraced that attitude on day one of the carnival with strong showings from the home teams.

The Vipers' top under 8 boys and girls, under 10 girls, under 12 boys and girls, under 14 boys and under 18 girls teams will all take 100 per cent winning records into Saturday.

"We're extremely happy with how it's gone - on and off the field," Wagga president Darrin Walsh said.

"We've got a number of undefeated teams and our development teams, our number two teams, have exceeded expectations which is a real credit to the players and coaches," Walsh said.

"There's been a lot of local support too. It's been great."

Action continues throughout a huge weekend with 218 teams competing in Wagga and up to 10,000 visitors in the city.

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