When things get tough on the AFLW field this season, the GWS Giants need only look down at their black arm band, or touch the number 34 they'll wear all season in honour of their fallen comrade Jacinda Barclay.
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Memories of the 29-year-old still bring tears to the eyes. But they also deliver a broad smile, similar to the one Barclay wore every time she pulled on the Giants kit.
Barclay will be remembered in every game the Giants play this season, with the club still reeling from her sudden death in October last year. She was the heartbeat of this playing group from the moment it was first pieced together in late 2016.
The former international baseballer and American football star's will to succeed in the sporting arena was matched only by her insatiable appetite for fun, something Canberra's Britt Tully remembers fondly.
"She was probably one of the first people I remember when I came to the club because she was that ball of energy, so welcoming and inclusive of everyone," Tully said.
"At any camp, she had a gridiron ball ready to use. I have memories like that, where she would bring people together and make everyone feel welcome.
"We miss that. We miss her bubbly personality and jokes, she was always a laugh.
"We've got to move on from it as well. We're never going to replace her but we can definitely live her legacy."
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The Giants and Fremantle Dockers will come together for a minute's silence ahead of Sunday's match in tribute to Barclay, with Western Sydney's first home game to hold further commemorations.
The round-one clash at Fremantle Oval marks the end of an unorthodox preseason that saw the Giants relocate in the wake of Sydney's Christmas outbreak of COVID-19.
As the New Year ticked over, the Giants headed to Albury for two weeks with plans to play a trial match in Melbourne. But those arrangements changed again, with Adelaide the next destination when the Victorian border stayed shut.
"It's been a new adventure that's for sure. It's been somewhat refreshing in a way to have something different, but also tedious and you miss home a lot at times as well," Tully said.
"I think in the grand scheme of things we've come together a lot more than if [we were] in Sydney.
"We're spending 24 hours a day with each other, the staff included. It's been one of the best preseasons we've probably had and preparation for round one.
"We look better than we ever have, we look clean and skillful. The bond you get out of this is unlike any other... it'll make us better in the long run."
Tully will miss the Giant's season opener, but is aiming to return from a knee injury in round three.
She's confident the Giants can topple Fremantle, who are touted as one of the teams to beat this season after a strong 2020 campaign.
"If we play our game, we'll beat them. We never look at a team thinking they're unbeatable, but they're a class act and we respect that," Tully said.
"I think the girls look really good, we look really fit. I don't think any other team will be as fit as we are, but we've got to come play as well.
"We've had a hard run at it, we need to make sure we leave that behind and look to playing football now."
AFLW ROUND ONE
Sunday - Fremantle Dockers v GWS Giants at Fremantle Oval, 4.10pm AEDT
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
