After the tragic death of Dapto prop Tory Brunning last Saturday, it just seems so pointless. In the scheme of things, what does footy matter?

I can’t count myself among those who knew Tory well. My only interactions came through covering and calling Dapto matches but you can’t find anyone with a bad a word to say about him.

Not from those who studied and played alongside him at Illawarra Sports High School where he earned Australian CHS honours as a 15-year-old. 

You’ll hear nothing but good things from those who took the field with him with the Illawarra Steelers junior reps. Certainly at his beloved Dapto Canaries, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more universally loved teammate and person. 

Given that fact, there’s no doubt his teammates, still coming to grips with the shock of his passing, asked themselves that same question when thoughts first turned to this Sunday’s match against Collegians. What does footy matter?

Read more: Loss of young Dapto star Tory Brunning felt far and wide

It’s a more than fair question, but if there’s one tiny fragment of solace anyone can take from Tory’s passing, it’s that footy does matter. A whole lot. 

It’s something we’ve been reminded of in the most painful of ways this week. Footy does matter, and it’s so easy it is to lose sight of why it does. 

This is the game that allowed a 15-year-old kid to move from Waitara, New Zealand to chase his dream.

It allowed Joanne and Tony Glackin – whose pain we can’t even imagine – to take him into their home and into their hearts. It allowed the Dapto footy club to do the same.

In it’s collective grief the rugby league, and wider, community has raised over $20,000 to send him back to Waitara to be laid to rest.

Read more: Brunning on verge of a rep career before shock death

Not one person would have objected had the Canaries chosen not to take the field on Sunday. 

It won’t see an end to their pain or their grief but, as we all wrestle with the shock of his passing, it’s the game Tory loved that they’ll turn to for solace.

Rugby league is a combative game, on and off the park. Through scandals and controversies at NRL level, to inter-club squabbles and everything else we see in this circus, it’s so easy for our hearts to harden in this game.

They have softened this week. Tributes have flowed from across the Illawarra League and beyond, testament to Tory himself and the game he loved. 

It’s a reminder of what the game is truly about. And you’re much more likely to find it in places like the Glackin household and Dapto Showground than at ANZ Stadium.