Knowing this, and that her father Paul made it when Maddie didn’t, supporting this vision just made sense for Jess O’Reilly.

She and her fellow netballers will wear purple jerseys representing the foundation started in Maddie’s name on Saturday, as will the Hoppers when they play Kiewa-Sandy Creek.

“It’s special to help Maddie achieve what she couldn’t get to do,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“We want to give back to the charity and to raise awareness – what better clubs to do it with than the ones that supported us through the most difficult time.”

Her father, Paul, came to know Maddie and her AFL star brother Nick as Paul fought the same condition – where the bone marrow stops making enough red blood cells – in the hospital room next door.

“Nick would wheel her in to my room, and she’d have the oxygen tank, and we’d just talk about different things,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“That was not daily; she would be sent off to intensive care, and then she’d be back, waving through the window, and then she got really sick and was back in IC for a long time.

“I went into the room where she was, and I didn’t know whether that was a good or a bad thing.

“Somehow I pulled through and she didn’t.”

Where a bone marrow transplant had failed for the 26-year-old, it worked for Paul – the reason Jess will be promoting the bone marrow registry on Saturday.

“Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision is about getting people to sign up to be bone marrow donors,” she said.

“It’s rare you could get called up, but it’s international – you could be helping somebody in Paris.

“It can be very rare you are a good match with somebody and dad was lucky because his donor was his sister.”

A number of fundraisers will also take place during the game and footballs signed by Nick will be auctioned off.

It will be a special game for Tallangatta coach Sam Livingstone.

“We’re pretty lucky we can play netball and footy,” he said. “When you see someone fight for their life, that puts things into perspective.”