A state funeral to honour AFL legend Jim Stynes is expected to take place in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old Irishman succumbed to cancer on Tuesday morning at his home surrounded by his wife Sam and their children Matisse and Tiernan.
His family has accepted the offer of a state funeral.
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said the final details of the farewell are being arranged according to the wishes of Stynes’ family.
“Our expectation is it will be on Tuesday but I’m not in a position to announce further details,” Mr Baillieu told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Mr Baillieu said it is expected there will be a significant chance for fans to witness the event.
“There will certainly be, as I understand it, capacity for significant numbers to attend but not necessarily directly attend,” he said.
“I’m very conscious of the detail that is proposed. It’s just a question of the family’s wishes and I don’t want to pre-empt what those final details are.”
Mr Baillieu said he was not surprised by the outpouring of grief for Stynes, who he described as a “classic Victorian” arriving as a young migrant and succeeding beyond expectations.
“Anybody who’s 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 in particular,” he said.
Stynes played his entire 12-year AFL career from 1987 to 1998 with his beloved Melbourne Football Club and was chairman of the club from 2008 until he resigned in February.
The club will honour Stynes at their round-four MCG home game against the Western Bulldogs.
“They decided that they really didn’t want to make it round one … because people will still be mourning the loss and it’s pretty soon, it’s only a week and a half away,” Demons co-captain Jack Trengove said on Tuesday.
He added the whole fourth round might be dedicated to Stynes.
Trengove said it was critical that the club not try to honour Stynes with just one game, but with ongoing improvement on the field.