And for the Wangaratta, Lavington and Corowa-Rutherglen players who will line up in the top grades of the Ovens and Murray grand finals today it will be, as almost a year's hard work boils down to a couple of hours on the field or court.

But for Lavington's Sam and Tom Hargreave and Wangaratta's Chaye Crimmins, today's matches will take on extra significance as they look to pay tribute to their late fathers, who were among their biggest supporters.

Win or loss, they've already done their fathers, and their families, proud.

I'd like to express my thanks to Sam, Tom and Chaye for sharing their stories and wish them all the best in today's big games.

Their opponents in the respective grand finals - Wangaratta in the football and Corowa-Rutherglen in the netball - have both overcome their share of adversity in the past two decades.

No sporting heartbreak can compare to the loss of a loved one - let there be no confusion about that - but the Magpies and Roos were on their knees a decade or two ago.

In recent days, David Johnston and Georgia Smith explored the stories behind the dark days, and the resurrection, of the respective clubs.

After reading the stories of the Hargreave and Crimmins families and the hard work of the Magpies and Roos clubs, I'm in the no-win situation of wanting everyone to be a winner today.

Of course, that's not possible, but at the same time, they already are.

All the best for the week ahead.

Xavier Mardling

The Border Mail editor