The AFL grand final weekend is meant to be a celebration, a time for mateship, community spirit and sporting pride, but for too many, it ends in tragedy.
Operation Scoreboard, now underway across Wangaratta and the North East, is a sobering reminder that the joy of the game can quickly turn into heartbreak on our roads.
With over 700 drink and drug driving offences recorded state-wide during the past three grand final weekends, the statistics are more than numbers, they represent lives put at risk, families shattered, and communities left grieving.
Already this year, 217 lives have been lost on Victorian roads, with more than half of those fatalities occurring in regional areas like our own.
The warning is clear, speeding, distraction and impaired driving are costing lives.
As thousands travel into our region to enjoy the festivities, we urge everyone to plan ahead.
The tragedy goes being incidents on our roads, it’s also behind closed doors.
Alcohol and drugs play a significant role in the acts of family violence which occur during a large sporting event.
As a community we ALSO need to take a stand against this.
If you see something is not right, call it out.
It’s up to all of us to change the culture and reduce the connection between violence and sport.
The AFL Grand Final should unite us in celebration, not mourning or poor sportsmanship when your when loses.
Let’s honour the spirit of the game, not with reckless choices, but with responsibility and care.
Because the best win this weekend is everyone celebrating safely.