AFL players and umpires have paid tribute to one of their own before the first bounce of the season.
A minute's silence was held prior to Thursday night's clash between the Melbourne Demons and Sydney Swans at the SCG to honour umpire Jesse Baird, 26, and his partner Luke Davies, 29, after they were allegedly murdered by a NSW police officer.
Both teams and all match officials also donned black armbands.
The tribute would be a small token of reflection and remembrance for the two young men during a difficult time for their family and friends, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said before the game.
Mr Baird developed close friendships amongst other umpires and within the league during his career umpiring 62 AFL games, including two finals, Mr Dillon said.
"He was such a vibrant, fun-loving person, who was deeply committed to umpiring," he said.
The Swans earlier paid tribute to Mr Baird, wearing black armbands as the club's Mardi Gras float marched up Oxford Street during the annual parade on Saturday night.
The parade also included a tribute to Mr Davies from Qantas, with the flight attendant's name included on the nose cone of its float.
The pair were allegedly murdered within a kilometre of the parade's Oxford Street route at a terrace in Paddington, where mourners left an AFL umpire's guernsey and a scale-model Qantas plane amongst bouquets and commemorative notes.
Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, is in custody charged with murdering the pair on February 19, allegedly using his police-issued firearm, before dumping their bodies at a rural property south of Sydney.
