Jim Stynes’ best friend and former Melbourne AFL teammate Garry Lyon has told a packed crowd at his funeral there has never been anyone like the Irishman who inspired countless people on the football field and beyond.
Stynes, who died last week from cancer aged 45, was sent off at a state funeral in Melbourne’s St Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday.
Lyon told several light-hearted anecdotes in his eulogy at Stynes’ expense, before turning serious.
“The truth is that finding fault in anything he did was a fruitless exercise,” said Lyon.
“I sat down and wrote a list of things that best described him as a footballer.
“Consistent, reliable, dependable, trustworthy, honest, strong, durable, courageous, caring, resilient.
“They are wonderful qualities to possess in a footballer – they’re even more significant qualities to possess as a man.
“What I find most amazing of all is that of all the kids from around the world we could have attracted to the game when Melbourne took the audacious step of looking beyond our shores in the albeit unlikely hope of unearthing a footballer, we found him – Jim Stynes.
“And as result we may now never question the boundaries of what one man is capable of achieving on the playing field but also never question the ability of the same man to have that same impact away from it.
“There never has been anyone like Jim Stynes and there never will be, which is why we loved him and we miss him so much today.”
Stynes came from Ireland as a Gaelic footballer in 1984 to Melbourne to try Australian Rules and ended up one of the game’s greats.
He won the 1991 Brownlow medal, four Melbourne best and fairest awards and was twice named in the All-Australian team.
As well as being named in Melbourne’s team of the century, he saved the ailing club when he took over its presidency in 2008.
He also co-founded the Reach Foundation charity.