The tragic loss of 17-year-old Eddie Allen's life on Monday night has hit our community hard.

Loss of any kind is difficult to come to terms with but when it is someone so young it reaches far into the community through mates, sporting teams, students, schools and parents let alone the family.

The love and support of those impacted is demonstrated by schools offering ongoing counselling as well as grief documents being emailed to parents so they have the necessary tools to help their child.

Last Saturday, the Lismore Rugby Club Colts won the Far North Coast Rugby Union Under 18 Colts Preliminary Final to advance to this week's Grand Final. It is the first time the Colts have reached this point of the season.

Now the decision has to be made whether the team plays in the Grand Final.

Josh Creighton is the coach of the Colts and he said that the decision is with the players.

"I have left the call to the boys and what they want to do," Josh said, "We had a bbq at training last night with 150 people turning up including Ed's Rams league side."

"We just talked about what has happened and I told them to not make a decision now but reflect on it for a couple of days. They will let me know what they want to do at training on Thursday."

"If they say 'yes' they would like to play then we will go and train and focus on our footy. It will be bloody hard but I don't want it to ruin their day on Saturday."

Eddie Allen was playing both rugby union and rugby league this year. He would lace up on Saturday for the Colts Under 18s then back up on Sunday for the Marist Brothers Under 18s. At training last night the Under 16's and Colts played a game of touch against the rugby league players.

Whatever the decision made by the Lismore Rugby Club Colts it will be supported by the 43,800 living in the Lismore Government area.