AFL hero Stynes suffers setback in cancer battle

JIM STYNES’ recovery from cancer suffered a setback after the discovery of another tumour over the weekend.

The Dubliner, who is president of the Melbourne AFL club having become a legend there as a player, was allowed out of hospital to watch the Demons chisel out a draw against old rivals Collingwood on Monday.

“I’ve had a bit of a setback but these guys (the players) give me such a lift,” Stynes said on the Channel 7 News.

The 44-year-old was diagnosed with cancer last July after discovering a lump in his back and underwent two surgeries. He underwent further surgery in September and suffered a setback the following month with medics learning the cancer had spread to his brain. Three tumours were removed and Stynes underwent a two-week course of radiation.

Stynes was a member of the last Dublin team to win the All-Ireland minor football title in 1984 before joining the Demons, where he set a record that still stands for the most games played consecutively in the AFL, 344 games.

He remains the only player recruited from outside Australia to win the AFL’s coveted Brownlow Medal for player of the year, receiving the honour in 1991.

He was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2003.