Their deaths were mourned, but their lives were celebrated.
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At Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday, Tamworth City Lions old boys said farewell to three of their favourite sons.
Some 100 former Lions gathered to mark the 2020 deaths of Bob Edgecock, Jody Cooper and Ron Porter.
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The organiser of the event, ex-Lion David Head, said the atmosphere was "exceptional".
"At all of our reunions, everyone loves getting back together again," he said.
"And, look, we never wanted to treat it [Saturday's event] as a solemn occasion."
Head said there was "a tinge of sadness" when family members of the late Lions addressed the crowd.
"But, no, it was a real celebration of these fellas' lives and just a great opportunity for Tamworth City old fellas to get back together again," he added.
A highlight of the gathering, Head said, was the fact that every decade of Tamworth City's existence was represented - including Barry Lingwood from the '50s.
"So the five decades City played [up until the '90s], there were representatives from each one of those decades, which was great," he said.
Ex-Lions made their way from Queensland and throughout NSW to attend the farewell, Head continued.
He said the family members got "a bit of a buzz out of the fact that so manly people cared enough about them [their loved ones] that they made the effort to get back and get to the function".
"So it was a pretty huge show of respect from the club to those [late players] and their families as well," he said.
