The dual premiership coach played 205 matches with Coburg in the VFA and has been a commentator on the sport for almost 30 years.

It’s this sporting background that his him convinced football clubs are a great place to start when it comes to cracking down on domestic violence.

Cleary’s sister was killed by her former partner in 1987 and the former independent member for Wills has been a passionate anti-violence campaigner ever since.

Cleary is the guest speaker at the “say no to violence” luncheon before Wodonga Raiders’ clash with North Albury at Birallee Park on Saturday.

He will use the luncheon, run by the Hume Indigenous Family Violence Action Group, to spread the message “there’s nothing tough about being a wife-basher”.

“My family had the terrible experience of seeing the killer found not guilty of murder at trial and that led me to believe our society didn’t fully understand the nature of the violence and had many prejudices against women,” he said.

“I’ve spent a lot of my time trying to address the cultural landscape and how men grow up and what attitudes prompt men to do violent things and, in particular, kill women.

“More than 60 women a year are killed by men they’ve had a relationship with and, in recent times, more and more people in the football sector are talking about it.

“I’ll talk about what I learnt in football from good men, what I admire in men, what I respect in men and how the men of Wodonga, through their football club, can set an example about the right attitudes that ought to dominate our society.”

Cleary said the fact Wodonga Raiders and North Albury were bitter rivals on the field made it “the perfect day to have the conversation”.

“We can proclaim and celebrate the rivalry between the two clubs because that’s part of the footy culture,” he said.

Players and coaches from both clubs will shake hands before the senior match.

The player who displays the most outstanding sportsmanship in the A-grade netball and senior football matches will receive an award.

The Raiders will also wear special jumpers to recognise Indigenous Round.

“We want to be leaders in the Wodonga community and bring issues to the forefront,” Raiders president Nic Conway said.

“The beauty of sporting clubs is that they bring people from all walks of life together and we wanted to make sure we took the opportunity to get people talking about domestic violence.”