Hawthorn and Collingwood players have honoured Adelaide coach Phil Walsh with a moving gesture after Friday's night AFL match at the MCG.
The Hawks won by 10 points, but the pulsating match ended one of the most tragic days in the game's history.
Walsh was murdered early on Friday morning at his home, allegedly stabbed to death by his 26-year-old son, Cy, who has since been charged by police.
Immediately after Hawthorn won 15.11 (101) to 12.19 (91), the two teams gathered in the middle of the ground.
Led by Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson and his Collingwood counterpart Nathan Buckley, the two teams formed a huddle around the centre circle and had a moment's silence.
It was a touching variation on the post-game club song that the winning team usually belts out in the changerooms.
The players also wore black armbands and there was no playing of the club songs before or after the game because of the dreadful circumstances.
But after the league decided that only Sunday's Adelaide-Geelong game should be cancelled, the Hawks and Magpies briefly lifted the mood of the day with an outstanding contest.
Hawks small forward Cyril Rioli starred with five goals and a crucial smother late in the frenetic last quarter.
As the scoreline shows, Collingwood were left ruing too many lost chances in front of goal.
After kicking 2.9 in the third term, they kicked the first three goals of the last term to lead by nine points.
But Rioli kicked his fifth and then substitute Matt Suckling's booming goal put the Hawks in front.
Rioli's midfield smother with a couple of minutes left on the clock led to Luke Breust kicking the sealer.
It was a brave effort from the Hawks, who lost key forward Jarryd Roughead for the clash when he had a melanoma removed from his lip.
Roughead is one of their most important players and it is unclear when he will return.
They were also without key defender James Frawley because of a shoulder injury.
It is Hawthorn's fifth-straight win and puts them a game clear of Collingwood in fourth spot.
Collingwood defender Travis Varcoe was reported in the last term after he made high contact with Rioli, who only had 10 possessions for the match.
Clarkson said the Walsh tragedy was unprecedented and so many people in the league had a connection to him.
"It's just a terrible, terrible time," Clarkson said.
He and Buckley decided before the match that they would form the huddle, with alternating Hawthorn and Collingwood players.
"We just said to them (captains Luke Hodge and Scott Pendlebury and Hodge), win lose or draw let's get together and try to show, that despite the fact we'd been fierce warriors who had played against each other for the previous three hours, we come together as one and acknowledge Phil," Clarkson said.
"We're going to mourn together and support the family and the Adelaide footy club as much as we can over the next few days, because it's going to be really tough for the Adelaide players in particular."
Clarkson added that at noon, the two teams still did not know if their game would go ahead.
"Together with the Roughy (Roughead) stuff that our players had to deal with over the course of the week, to get a win in those circumstances, we're enormously proud how we handled the week."
Buckley also said it was important for the two teams to pay their respects to Walsh.
"The significance of that gesture was to say that it doesn't matter who you follow, who you play for, we're all people - human, in our own right," he said.
"When we lose someone before their time, we need to acknowledge that."
