Colin Sylvia will be remembered as one of the most talented footballers to graduate from the Bendigo Pioneers program.
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The 32-year-old was tragically killed in a car accident in Mildura on Sunday afternoon.
"Pound for pound, Col was the best footballer to come through the Bendigo Pioneers," former Pioneers regional manager Ray Byrne said on Monday.
"He was a superstar at under-18 level. He could win games for us.
"Col and (former Carlton wingman) Andrew Walker got us to a preliminary final in 2003.
"He was a really good kid. He got into a little bit of trouble back then, but nothing I wouldn't have done at the same age.
"He was friendly with everyone at the club... he was a pleasure to have around the club.
"It's really sad that he's gone so young."
Sylvia moved to Bendigo to complete his VCE studies at Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
He won the Pioneers' club championship award in 2003 and was picked by Melbourne with selection three in that year's AFL National Draft.
"I don't reckon he played a bad game for the Pioneers,'' Byrne said.
"He was a terrific player. He could do just about anything on the footy field."
Sylvia showed flashes of brilliance during his 157-game, 10-year stay at the Demons but injury and inconsistency was a constant source of frustration for fans and coaches.
Searching for a fresh start, Sylvia crossed to Fremantle at the end of 2013 as a high-prized free agent.
But the move flopped as Sylvia played six underwhelming games for the Dockers in 2014 before he was banished to the WAFL and agreed to leave the club in early 2015, despite having more than a year left to run on his contract.
He endured his fair share of off-field controversies.
In 2006, Sylvia was ordered not to assault, harass, threaten or intimidate his then girlfriend after an early-morning incident.
In 2011, after being stripped of his place in the 2011 International Rules Series for leaving the scene of a car crash in South Melbourne.
He was a passenger in his BMW X5 when it crashed and knocked down a power pole on Kings Way as he returned home after staying at a friend's house.
Sylvia was spared jail in January this year, but recorded a conviction after pleading guilty to using a stolen credit card.
The exact cause of the fatal collision on Sunday is yet to be determined.