Stynes cancer battle

Stynes' men rally for the cause

IN THE image of the club of which he was a champion, whose survival cause he later championed, and whom he addressed at last night's best-and-fairest count, Jim Stynes hopes he has bottomed out.

Stynes, four times Melbourne best-and-fairest, now president, but a cancer patient since July, appeared at last night's function with his head shaved. It accentuated his smile, and the sparkle in his eyes. At times during his gruelling treatment, he has lost his sight and voice, but both were clear and strong last night. He was met with a standing ovation.

"Nude nut — it's hard not to notice," he said. "I was hoping to come in with a No. 2, but . . ." His daughter was shocked, he said, but his son thought it was cool.

Earlier in the day, Stynes had Tweeted an update to the many who are keeping vigil with him electronically. "Just had the head shaved, feels great, never had the guts when I played, but wish I had now," he wrote. "My boy loves it."

Stynes told guests that he had just completed two weeks of radiation therapy, would now have a four-week break from treatment, then more radiation at the end of November that would, "please God, finish it off".

Vice-president Don McClarty, Stynes' proxy since his illness, paid tribute to Stynes' indomitable spirit, and the way he was prepared to make such a public spectacle of his therapy. "While most people would be feeling sorry for himself, Jim's reinvented himself," he said. "What an education it has been for us, and what a hero to all those battling cancer."

Last night was testimony to what can only be called the Stynes effect at Melbourne. More than 800 came, a cross-section of the 10,000 who have already bought memberships for next season. McClarty noted: "We're possibly the most positive wooden spooner in AFL history."

Stynes called the night a celebration. The club had been saved and restructured, he said. Benefactors had kicked in more than $3 million, philanthropy unprecedented in AFL history. The team had bottomed out, now the classic path of rebuilding football clubs, guaranteeing it a choice selection of recruits. "I see it as the dawning of a new era," said Stynes. "We're now in a position where we're on our way back, and that's a great feeling."

What was needed now, he added, was patience. It is a virtue he has come to know all too well.