Leaderboard

I look around these days and have this sad sense that the people of the world are so lost; troubled souls who have forgotten the connection between us all and who get so caught up in the trivial, materialistic nature of modern man, that they are unable to appreciate the beauty of life itself. Stynes was the anti-thesis to this; he radiates so many wonderful traits, not of least kindness, compassion, dignity, selflessness, hope, and his good ol' fighting spirit. He is a man whom we can look to when we need to be reminded of what it should mean to be human. A wonderful man who will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.

There's never any 'good' in hearing things like this. But here's my good. I've heard gravely ill and Jim Stynes together 100 times and we still stand here today idolising the man who after so many tumours, still has a beating heart. Jim Stynes will be forever change anyone who has met, listened too or even just heard about the man in a way no politician, actor or billionaire ever well. He gives hope to those who should have given up, he gives life to those who should have run their course and courage to those who never knew they had it. The story of Jim Stynes will live on, and when the fateful day where whatever it is he fights finally beats him, not just us as Demons but the community and society as a whole will be indebted to a man like no other. So many people around the world dream that when they grow up they will change the world in some way- Jim has completed that and that is a feat no illness, no cancer will ever take away from Jim Stynes and the people he has touched. Until I hear the words he has been lost, you know he won't give up fighting and it's a life lesson that so many of us can applaud.

I remember playing kick to kick in the backyard with my cousin. We'd toss a coin to decide which of us would be Lyon and who would be Stynes. Suffice to say the winner not only had the responsibilty of being a brownlow winner but also has to speak with a terrible Irish accent for the duration of the session. I've spent 50% of today fighting off tears and the other 50% smiling and reminiscing.

Also shattered, lost my Dad last week and now this Inspirational Champion. If I can be half as good a person as these two heros in my life, I will be satisfied. Rest comfortably Jimmy , thank you for being who you were. Your legacy will live on forever.

A memo to the Melbourne Football Club : Wear the Reach logo on our jumper with pride.....all year just do it nothing more needs to said really

Can we please just let people show their respect with some heartfelt words . Keep the debate on other matters for another time . Thank you

Nice touch with the banner, Andy.

RIP Jimmy Stynes. I give thanks for your sincerity, your warmth, your glowing example of humanity, and your commitment to the welfare of others. I've met a lot of people - leaders and followers - from many walks of human life. But few demonstrate the instrinsic goodness that Jimmy had. Even when his life circumstances were horrible he radiated a goodness that few people ever reach. No, he wasn't "perfect" but he made it possible to believe that people can be good, kind and generous. He didn't teach life, he modelled Life with a capital "L". Our club, city and nation is the lesser for his passing.

The emotion displayed on this thread is only one small sign of the impact Jim Stynes has had on the MFC, the AFL & Australian life in general. Jim saved this football club. Jim saved so many young lives through the Reach Foundation. Three times Victorian of the Year! Tears streamed from my eyes when I read Robbie57's post with the words of "Danny boy". I offer my sincere condolences to the Stynes family. We will properly spend many days in mourning. But Jim would want us to move on. And move on we will. As the united cohesive financially-sound and professional football club that Jim has made us. And there is only one goal "whatever it takes": that elusive premiership that will be Jim's premiership. It's going to take a few years. But, through my tears, I have a vision of the Stynes family presenting the premiership medals to the victorious Melbourne team; and of Jack Trengove, Jack Grimes & Mark Neeld on the dais holding the Cup aloft. We all know that Jim will be there too. Let's make sure it happens! In closing, I would just suggest an amendment to the OP. Jim Stynes was not "a great Melbourne man"; Jim Stynes has been the greatest Melbourne man. RIP

The Demonland Banner is amazing...whoever did that...Superb effort. He looks so proud.

I have been reading this thread through respectful tears throughout the day. What a thread...We all argue and disagree and then leave a joke on here or whatever....But we all Loved the Big Man as much as each other...i hope this thread sticks around for a long time...so we can all have a Jimma Moment..when needed. I want to read this after the next Flag. Jimma is still around...He will see it. Well done to all on Demonland..for this thread...You make me proud to support the most frustrating but still brilliant football team there is. We must get stronger...& the spirit of Jim will assist...He is not gone..The MFC is here because of Jim. This club must become large strong & compassionate...The traits of Jim Stynes.

The challenge our football club faces now is how we handle the legacy left to us by Jim. I was deeply moved and proud to hear the leadership group of the club today talk about how they won't treat Jim's memory as a trite crutch to gee up players on occasions, not like a stage prop, but more as our ongoing foundation for how we want to be seen in the future. I'd hate for the sad passing of a great individual reduced to a mere "do it for Jim", rather, as he encouraged through his work at Reach, "do it for yourself, do it for all of us" be the best you can be in your own capacity. That was his message. By being great, we honour Jim. He was great, and he raised the bar to which we should aspire. We owe him that.

Yep there will be a big Dees crowd that will come out against Brissie. It was one of Jim's main wishes for the MFC to hit 40,000 members. I reckon the club should let the dust settle and allow people to mourn, but tell those who are yet to sign up, if you're ever going to do it, now is the time. Honour Jim's legacy by reaching the goal he set for us.

I had the privilege of travelling to Yuendumu with Jimmy, accompanying Liam Jurrah, on a visit to his home and community in 2010. He was inspirational in his generosity of spirit and his determination to complete the trip, despite suffering from his dreadful illness even back then. He was the only person in football who I don't think had a single enemy. A true legend. RIP mate.

I remember crying as I watched Jim play his farewell game. I cried not only for I knew the day his career was coming to an end but in admiration for the man who was loved by so many people hightlighted by the many children from Reach providing him with a guard of honour. I find myself crying once more and for similar reasons. Not only because his days have come to an end but also in admiration for all he has done, not just for the MFC, but for the Community as a whole. I cry in sorrow but in celebration of a man who I never met but could relate to as one would one's own brother, father, son. Rest in Peace Jim and I hope you look down from heaven with satisfaction of a life well spent and a legacy that will never be broken. On a personal note, I moved to Sydney last year and I sit at my desk at work (not doing very much I am afraid); tears in my eyes. No-one here can understand why I feel like I do. He is an inspiration and the message is clear - live for my family, live for the day, live life to the fullest. God bless Jim's family. I admire you all.

Today it has been announced that Jim Stynes Passed away this morning I am a Melbourne Supporter and have long supported Jim and My Club The First Time I personally met Jim Stynes was the day after Melbourne lost that infamous game to Hawthorn I was with the players the day after and spoke to Jim. At the time he was like all the other players bitterly dissapointed maybe even more so from his own perspective But he said even then he would not let that get to him and he promised to pay back the Melbourne Football Club in full Jim if you can hear me believe me you have done that and much more, you have been a blinding example how to fight adversity, how to battle on no matter how bad the situation may be . You have been a Role Model for many and I myself learnt from you and took sustanance From your courage To Jims Family I offer my heartfelt sympathy and to the Melbourne Football Club and all of us as supporters. This will hurt extremly the outpouring of Grief for this man has not yet really started All I can say is thanks Jim for the Memories you will be long remembered and sorley missed by all those that knew you God Bless you Jim Im sure the gates are wide open and he will be there to personally greet you .

Not very often you can say you're a better person for having someone in your lives that we hardly knew. Jim - thank you for allowing us, the supporters of the Melbourne Football Club, to come along on a very special journey. From when you first arrived in Australia, the Brownlow Medal, the guts and determination shown through the consecutive games streak, the endless work with trouble youth, saving our great club, and most recently, your courageous fight, you have invited millions in to your life, and unquestionably we are all grateful for. Deepest sympathies to Sam and the family.

It's been an incredibly sad day. So many have commented on how deeply the loss of Jim has impacted on them. Like so many, I've shaken his hand and shared a few brief footy related words but have really had little to do with the great man on a personal level yet have grieved today like I've lost a close friend. Perhaps this ability to inspire so many outside of his own family and personal sphere, is his greatest gift. I've always respected the Chuck Palahniuk philosophy. He said, "We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will". Jimmy, you've meant so much to so many and achieved so much across so many different fields. So many of us have feared for the future and the life of our footy club and without you it may well have died. I now have no reason to think that the MFC can't live on forever and while this footy club we love is still breathing so will the Jim Stynes name and stories of your feats on and off the footy field will be passed on from generation to generation. RIP Jim. Can I just add that I often walk away from my computer screen after a session on Demonland with a fair degree of frustration with some of the stuff that gets aired here and the constant negativity but reading this thread on and off all day has made me genuinely proud to be a member of this club and this site. The members here have moved me with their sincere outpouring of emotion as we've all been coming to terms with the loss of our spiritual leader. Well done Demonland - you've been all class. Jimmy would be proud.

Nice touch to lock all the other threads. It's a small gesture but what a hero.

That Banner at the top of the screen should stay all year long, please mods, one day will never suffice. Would be nice to see everyone change their avatar to the great man for atleast a week or until round 1.

RIP Jimmy I have two great loves, my wife and family & the MFC. My wife has battled cancer for the past year, and having young children, she has sought and found inspiration from Jim and his own struggles with this insidious disease in similar family circumstances. My football club was broken when Jim decided to take the reigns as President. He has inspired and connected us all so that this mighty club has a future where I may see that first elusive flag. I never had the fortune to meet Jimmy, but words cannot describe the effect that he has had on my two loves. Good on ya Jimmy, may you rest in peace and in the knowledge of a life lived fully.

To put Jim's passing into perspective; My wife knows absolutely bugger all about footy. She has little to no interest in MFC and it's entity. She obviously heard of Jim's passing today so decided to read about Jim's journey in life. My wife then sobbed for a good period of time and now wants so badly to attend Round 1 with me and our boys for her first ever game of footy. Even having passed, Jim will be an inspiration for footy, the AFL and even more so, the MFC.

An auld Irish toast to Jimmy Stynes: "May you be half-an-hour in heaven before the Devil knows your dead!". I'll be having Guinness or two tonight in the great man's honour. RIP Jimmy Stynes

If there is a heaven it now holds the Mightiest Demon of them all... Playing Legend, Club Savior. R.I.P.

Knowing this was coming does not make its arrival any less sad or affecting. We claim Jimmy as one of our own but he was bigger than football. His work with young people and his courage in the face of adversity has touched so many. Sympathy to his family. May they take comfort in sharing his greatness.

I truly, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, hope that his legacy has left an impression on this club. I really do. I am so uncertain about this club atm, and am a little lost in his death.

Words will never be enough to pay tribute to such a man as Jim Stynes but there are a few things that perhaps for selfish reasons i would like to say. Dearest Jim. i only had the pleasure of you company on a handful of occasions, every time I bailed you up at games to chat about my and your beloved Demons you had time, time to listen, time to laugh and sometimes times time to hear my gripes. I walked away from every meeting with you taller and prouder to be part of the exclusive club of which we shared membership the Melbourne Football Club. Jim although you wouldnt have remembered me you somehow made me feel like a friend you had an amazing way to lift others and to make them feel special. Jim Stynes you are one of the kindest most selfless human beings that i have had the pleasure of meeting, and on this sadest of days im sure that more than anything else you would of told everyone to celebrate life. That is what i intend to do, celebrate your life, a life filled with love, kindness, and and selflessness. Jim you did not loose your battle and this is not the end of your jurney as you yourself put it, your memory and the gifts you gave everyone of us will live on through the many you touched. Jim i thank you as a Melbourne supporter a Melbourne Member and most of all as a person. I like countless others are better for have crossed paths with you throughout your time with us. Rest now Jim knowing that you will always be remembered as one of the best.

God speed Jimmy our thoughts are with Sam, Matisse and Tiernan and all your family. Whilst we shed a tear or two I can hear you singing: Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side The summer's gone, and all the roses falling 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide. But come ye back when summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'Tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so. And when you come, and all the flowers are dying If I am dead, as dead I well may be You'll come and find the place where I am lying And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me. And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be For you will bend and tell me that you love me And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me. I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me. And I shall rest in peace until you come to me. Oh, Danny Boy, Oh, Danny Boy, I love you so. Followed by a rousing chorus of a Grand old Flag! "Ave" for you and RIP, you will always be our inspiration.

The AFL CEO is joking when he says on the one hand " once the comment was made his job was untenable" and on the other hand " he wasn't sacked as he was given 2 hours to think about it' . Mr Spin stuffed up. He admitted talking to to the Crows CEO the day before Rendell went and telling the CEO to fix the problem. The very same day he was quoted as saying "the person who made the comment had to go" and also admitting that he knew who made the comment when he said that. Rendell said he was told resign or be sacked you have 2 hours to decide. That is the 2 hours Demetriou is talking about. 2 months after a throw away comment a bloke is sacked without a chance to retract, explain, be counselled, fined, suspended or any alternative. Dipper made a racist comment and he was allowed to stay as an AFL employee. If I was Rendell I would sue the AFL for heaps. As a sideline if it wasn't so serious it would be very funny, Demetriou kept calling Jason MIFSUD "MISFUD" over and over "on the couch". I thought watching Rendell on Footy Classified was extremely sad seeing a person's life being torn apart and I know she had a job to do but I thought Caro was disgraceful. The other 3 showed common decency. IMO the AFL stands condemned for disgusting behaviour towards one of its own in an effort to grandstand.

There no losing in this battle, Jimmy Stynes is a winner regardless. It is past the point of willing Jimmy Stynes on. I am just praying for the best outcome for him and his family. MFC struggles with identity and "standing for something". This man has given our footall club an identity and values on which it can stand for generations and I don't think that is overstated.

There is no better way to summarise Big Jim, than that of the words he lives by, "Whatever it takes". There is a reason his biography is so entitled, there is a reason why such a sign hangs up above the players race. These are the words Jim lives by, they are his mantra, his creed. You could do a lot worse, than inscribing Jim's words on yourself. Whilst un-inked myself, i have long held the desire that when we finally win that [censored] thing, i'm gonna get a melbourne premiers tattoo along with Jim's creed written on my left forearm.

Impossible to imagine a greater legacy than that which this great and loyal humanist has left............thankyou Jim for your true and pure influence for good, from the club we love to the community you fostered.

A wonderful man who clearly showed what can be achieved with Integrity and Courage. Congratulations Gentleman Jim you lived a magnificent life!

I never met you Jim but I feel like I lost a family member today. I have teared up a few times today, something I rarely do. You are an extraordinary man. My love and heart go to your beautiful family Jim. RIP Legend!

To the man who my father & I watched week in week out give his all for our great club out on the MCG, thank you. Thank you for giving us hope & spirit & an understanding of true Irish grit. Thank you for being the man we could depend upon when the going was tough on a cold wet winters day..... Thank you for making us believe that anything is possible. Thank you for being a great human who would go totally out of his way to help young people who need a guiding soft (but strong) hand and making a difference. Thank you helping people who needed it, especially when your were going through your toughest fight. Thank you for being a great person & making the world better for the rest of us because you were here..... Jim, Thank you. RIP Jim.

To Jim i love you and all you have done for me thankyou for all your love and support of our great club you will always be the heart of our club.

I grew up with a giant poster of Jimmy on my bedroom wall. He was a man bigger than the game. Rest In Peace.

Just watched the interview with Col Garland at the Melbourne website. He spoke so well about Jim and the future for the club. A credit to you Col.

I've been trying to read this thread, but it is growing quicker than I can read, through the tears in my eyes. Big Jim, you are my hero. You are the hero of my club. You are the reason that I love this club since I was 7 years old in 1987. But more importantly than all of that, you are the hero of so many people and their lives, who would not have lives if it weren't for you. To Sam, Matisse and Tiernan, I hope you can gain strength from your husband and father, because if ever there is a bloke to gain strength from, he is that man. You are a gem of an individual, who will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Big Guy, I love you. Thank you.

It's just an absolute shock, I sat at my desk today just completely stunned and saddened. We knew him through football but his legacy is so much bigger than a simple game. Through his life he set an example of how to live in a cynical world with hope and goodness in your heart and he faced the greatest adversity with dignity and a steely resolve to do "Whatever It Takes." The world is a poorer place for his loss but a man is remembered by the legacy he leaves and in that respect Jimmy is one of the greatest of all. RIP Jimmy, we love ya mate.

Jim, as you did with many, you had a profound effect on my childhood. Following and growing up with the Dees from 85 and enjoying so many great years watching you, in a period I now value so highly as a Demon, 87-91. As sad as today has been, those years came flooding back seeing all the names from that era, Northey, Slug, Greg and Gerard Healy, Barry Richardson, come out to remember you so fondly. I lost my dear mum to this same battle only a year ago and I'm so very lucky to have been influenced by two great people. My thoughts are with Sam and all your family. You're truly a legend. RIP Jim.

We all knew this day would come, but all day i cant help but feel in agony. Let the Melbourne Football Club recover from this huge loss and drive forward with vision and purpose. Condolences to the Stynes family and everyone who he has ever touched by the great man. We will all remember the life of Jim Stynes and use it as motivation for ourselves and the Melbourne Football Clubs ambitions. R.I.P Jim Stynes, We love you mate

My condolences go out to the Stynes family, friends, close acquaintances and anyone who has felt his passing. A tough sad day for not just Melbourne supporters, but for all lives Jim inspired and touched. I'm proud to have met you Jim. Too many positive words I want to use. Most have been covered already in many, many tributes from around the globe. Remarkable and legendary man that has left a legacy and inspired many. RIP Jim.

There is not much left to say everyone on here has summed up how we are all feeling very well . I think it speaks a lot of the man that i feel like ive lost a friend even though i never met Jim . He united us all as melbourne supporters and i think we need to make sure we never forget that . So when the chips are down we need to stick fat with the dees and support unconditionly until we get the flag and say thats for you big jim .

Rest well Jimmy, content that you lived well, touched many and left a great legacy. Condolences to your family. A true gentleman and demon.

I'm on my final warning at my workplace for taking too many sick days after recent tragidy stuck my family- so it looks like I will be updating the resume and saying so long to my heartless employer! We will give them hell in round 1 for Jimmy and it will hopefully set the tone for what will be a tribute season to the great man. If our team can replicate an ounce of Jimmy's determination and endeavour we will be unstoppable.

http://au.sports.yah...-cancer-battle/ My sister (on left) and cousin getting a picure with the great man ..... 56 seconds in. And resulting pic with (me in the black hat and sunnies) over my cousins shoulder.

Jim Stynes 1966 - 2012 RIP We Love you Jimma

I spoke with Jim's sister Terri-Ann at the family day and she said thatJimmy was ready to go. God Bless you Jimmy.

I agree, I usually don't mind her but she kept using the journalistic tactic of asking the same question repeatedly and it was getting extremely frustrating watching it.