Thousands of people are expected to pay their last respects at the state funeral to honour the late Jim Stynes when it is held in Melbourne next Tuesday. The 45-year-old Dubliner, an Australian Rules legend in his adopted homeland, lost his battle with cancer in the early hours of yesterday morning.
He will be laid to rest at a ceremony in Melbourne’s St Paul's Cathedral at 11am next Tuesday morning. The premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, said today that ”anybody who is conscious of the contribution that Jim Stynes made to football, and to the broader community over many years, would recognise that he held a really special place in the hearts of Victorians.”
Stynes death led to an outpouring of grief in Australia, and Melbourne in particular. After winning an All-Ireland medal with the Dublin minors, Stynes moved to the Melbourne Demons at the age of 18 as part of the ‘Irish Experiment‘, which saw AFL sides recruit talented young Gaelic footballers.
He went on to play 264 games for Melbourne in a career spanning over a decade and won the Brownlow Medal for the best player in the AFL in 1991, still the only overseas player to do so. He also holds the record for the most consecutive matches played (244).
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says the league is planning their special tribute to Stynes to reflect “his enormous contribution to the game”.
“He’s inspired other Irish lads to come out, he’s inspired so many other people through his efforts on the football field,” said Demetriou. “But he’s also inspired so many people off the football field, particularly with what he’s done with Reach, with youth; the fact that he believed he could change people for the better and give people a second chance.
“And what he’s done for the Melbourne Football Club, I think will be long be remembered as a turning point in the club’s long and proud history.”
Melbourne club president Don McLardy added: “There are few places in Australia that have not heard or been touched by the legend of Jim Stynes – the affable Irishman who left his homeland to chase a dream, and succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.
“In the next few weeks, you will hear from many who will tell you about his magnificent playing record, and why Kevin Sheedy says he is the greatest story in the history of the AFL.
“You will also hear from many whose lives have been changed by Jim, mainly through contact with his incredible youth organisation, Reach, and the hundreds of young kids who openly say Jim Stynes “changed my life”. Can there be a greater accolade than that?”
Legendary AFL coach Kevin Sheedy, who included Stynes as part of his backroom team on the Australian International Rules management team, also praised his friend.
“I think Australia is better off for having him migrate here. He came across as a 17-year-old from Dublin and became a super player for the Melbourne Football Club. To his family, his mother and father, that lost him to Australia, we would love to thank them very much for their son’s contribution to this country. He has just been a superb person for Australia.”