COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse says his club will do whatever it can to support Jim Stynes as the Melbourne chairman battles cancer.

Stynes announced on Tuesday he would take the remainder of the season off to fight the disease, which has spread from a lump he first discovered in his back last month.

News of Stynes’ illness was filtering through the football community on Thursday and Malthouse, speaking at his weekly press conference, spoke of his admiration of the Irishman – a man he said people couldn’t help but admire.

“I don’t think there’d be too many of us that haven’t been touched by cancer,” Malthouse said.

“I just think that anyone who’s been touched by that disease understands that there’s no easy fix and it’s a tough time.”

Malthouse’s father died after battling cancer two years ago and his wife Nanette had also lost her brother to the disease several years ago.

The Magpies coach said he didn’t know details about Stynes’ illness but said his club would lend whatever assistance it could to help the Brownlow Medallist beat the “dreadful disease”.

“I don’t know the circumstances with Jimmy but I will say that he’s one of those blokes that you can’t help but like,” he said.

“I say this on behalf of Collingwood and I know that Eddie (president Eddie McGuire) wouldn’t mind me saying this, we hope that everything possible can be done and is done.

“We will support him if we possibly can and our thoughts are certainly with him and his family.”

Malthouse said one of the AFL community’s great strengths was the empathy it showed for one of its own.

“One of the great things about our competition [is] it does rally towards helping people in need,” he said.

“We’re the most fierce defenders inside that white line but given any other circumstances I’m sure that everyone in the football world does rally and from me and the football club we just wish Jimmy all the best.”