ON ANY given day this year, you could find Dean Perawiti at a local ground having a kick of the Sherrin.

An inspiration to youth who feel as though the world is leaving them behind. Over the last two years, the young Collingwood Magpies Community star has turned his love of footy into a path out of dark times, and into a future filled with promise and personal growth.

"I played local footy since I was like, eight years old to about 13 years old. Then, I got into trouble. Hanging around the wrong crowd. Started smoking and stuff," Perawiti recalls.

His story is familiar to many who have experienced the turbulence of adolescence, where one wrong decision can steer someone off course.

Sometimes, witnessing the impact of drugs or alcohol on your own loved ones can create a ripple effect, and as a coping mechanism, it can lead you down a similar path in your own life.

"A lot of my pain comes from seeing my mum in pain, and I’ll take her pain and put it inside of me.  But now I can control it.”

Ahead of the 2023 season, Dean made the choice to take control of his destiny by rekindling his childhood love of football.

That’s when he joined the Collingwood Magpies Community Football Team, in a season where they went on to become Premiers.

The Collingwood Magpies compete in the Reclink Victorian Football League and facilitate 40 participants under the guidance of coaches Shane Williams, Collingwood AFLW Vice-Captain Jordyn Allen, and former Collingwood AFL player Daniel Wells.

With weekly training sessions held at the heart and soul of Collingwood, Victoria Park, the program provides people in disadvantaged situations a support system through mentoring, football, wellbeing and the power of connection.   

"Last year we played in the [Reclink] Grand Final, in Port Melbourne. We got the win; it was really good. When we play a game, my teammates really look up to me as well to help. It’s a good feeling,”

The Magpies Community Team has helped Dean to focus his energy, hone his leadership skills and overcome the challenges of life with a sense of pride and responsibility.

Perawiti’s ability to process and manage his emotions has been as transformative as his achievements on the field.

“It’s [the program] helped me in many ways. Confidence, getting back into school, quitting those bad things. Just quitting the bad habits and creating good habits.”

This year, Perawiti has taken his game to new heights by training with the Fitzroy Stars where his passion for the game has intensified.

“My Reclink [Collingwood] footy has been a thousand times better. I'm back to that everyday-training.” Perawiti said.

Through the discipline of training, and a team environment, it has helped establish a sense of routine and the focus needed to replace old habits with positive ones.

But perhaps the most profound change for Dean wasn’t just in his game, but in his life outside of it.

“When I came down to this program, it helped me on my journey to becoming clean,”

"One of my proudest moments is becoming sober again.”

For people like Dean, football has become a powerful tool in his ongoing battle for sobriety.

With maturity beyond his years, it’s Dean's early self-realisation that strengthening both his emotional and mental resilience is just as important as physical, that is also inspiring his teammates around him.

If it wasn’t for football, the future might’ve looked very different.