Sydney Mardi Gras: Mitch Brown and Matthew Pavlich lead crowd at Oxford Street parade

For many West Australians watching from afar, it was a striking image: former Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich, ex West Coast Eagles defender Mitch Brown and Sydney Swans’ Brodie Grundy leading the crowd at Sydney’s Mardi Gras event.

The trio marched down Oxford Street beneath a wash of rainbow lights and red-and-white club colours for the two-kilometre route.

Light rain didn’t stop the close to 10,000 revellers; but the crowd were significantly smaller than previous years, where typically hundreds of thousands of people come out to celebrate.

A poignant moment came when former AFL player Mitch Brown, who recently came out as bisexual, walked with the crowd as a parade co-host.

Brown has previously spoken candidly about the importance of visibility and the power of professional sport to foster acceptance.

Pavlich, who officially stepped into the Swans’ top off-field job this summer, described the club’s presence as a statement of inclusion and respect.

Grundy, one of Sydney’s most recognisable on-field figures, embraced the festive mood - smiling for photos along the route.

Many put the crowd size down a rift after ‘Pride in Protest’ was banned from the Mardi Gras parade after refusing to remove what was organisers labelled “unacceptable public commentary” directed at a Jewish parade group.

Despite the drama, 200 floats made their way along Oxford Street for the 48th edition of the celebrations.