Solidarity with grieving Saint Nick Riewoldt has come from his Richmond counterpart Trent Cotchin.
Riewoldt's 26-year-old sister Madeleine passed away in February after fighting a rare blood disease, aplastic anaemia.
On Wednesday, Riewoldt said he was "hanging in there" as he grieved with his family, which includes his cousin, Tigers forward Jack Riewoldt.
Cotchin said his club was touched by the Riewoldts' tragedy, paying tribute to the long-term St Kilda captain as a "tremendous leader", both at his club and in the AFL.
"I couldn't imagine what he's going through," Cotchin said.
"Being close to Jack and seeing how it's impacted him as well, you see how much it's weighed on the family.
"If there is a positive, you see how strong your family are and you come together to fight through these situations."
At 24, Cotchin was one of the youngest AFL captains on show at the AFL's season launch.
The three-time club champion said collegiality between the skippers was strong, with animosities left at the door.
"It's good to get amongst the AFL captains," he said.
"The only chance you really get to see each other is out on the field during the year ... so (at the season launch) you catch up on what people are doing outside of footy, family and so forth."
Cotchin said Jack Riewoldt's preseason had him primed to jump into the 2015 season.
The 26-year-old looked sharp and clinical in two cameo performances in the NAB Challenge.
"He's had a really positive pre-season, Jack, along with a lot of other key forwards," Cotchin said.
"They've set a new standard with their training, which is great to see.
"He's trimmed down a bit, he's moving well and hopefully we'll see him perform well."
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