Saturday is going to be quite an emotional day for Jake Huett and the Bracknell Football Club.
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As they step onto Westbury Oval to face Meander Valley, the Redlegs will remember reserves premiership player Kyle Gray while playing for the Speak Up Stay Chatty cup.
Huett, who influenced Gray to join the club four years ago, will wear a special commemorative guernsey with his best mate's number (65) and initials emblazoned on it and captain the side on what will be a special day.
"I accidentally found out a few weeks ago from a guy who didn't know it was going to be a secret but I'm looking forward to running out with it on Saturday," he said.
"It will mean the world to me to run out in this guernsey, especially for this club where my family is heavily involved."
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
Following Gray's passing, Bracknell have had several guest speakers come to their club and speak out about their battles with mental illnesses, which Huett says has certainly brought the tight-knit unit closer together.
"Kyle had a few really good mates at the footy club that I think I've grown close to as well.
"We talk about him all the time, have a laugh about him and have a cry together, so it will definitely be an emotional day."
Corry Goodluck, who regularly leads the Redlegs on a Saturday, said handing the reins over to Huett was an easy choice.
"He's Kyle's best mate, he'd do anything for Kyle as Kyle would do anything for him, so I thought it would be one last hurrah this year for Jake to lead us out and we'll follow in his footsteps," he said.
Accepting the offer to be a part of the special day was also an easy choice for Meander Valley Suns coach Damien Rhind, with plenty of his players pleased to be playing football again to aid their mental health.
"Being a coach you get a lot of things coming through your door at times, whether it be phone calls, text messages or social media these days from your playing group," he said.
"I always encourage my players to talk to me about whatever they would like to talk about and it doesn't have to be football related.
"I don't mind if they want to tell me what's happening in their life, their families or anything like that, they can bring that to the table, I can direct them to the right areas or just listen, most of the time it's about listening to what they have to say and they can leave the conversation feeling like a weight is off their shoulders."
Rhind, who has had several family members battle mental health issues during their lives, said a tragic circumstance like Gray's is one that is felt throughout the entire football community.
"It's not about us versus them when it comes to those sorts of things.
"It's about the whole group understanding what's happened, why it's happened and ensuring it's not happening to yourself, your teammate or the bloke you're playing on the weekend."