THE MCG members stand cast its usual early afternoon shadow across the ground. The MCG and MCC flags flew at half-mast on top of the scoreboard.

It was barely five hours since Jim Stynes had died and Melbourne's leaders were standing in front of a subdued media group trying to find the right words to describe the club's loss.

Recruit Mitch Clark found words hard to find full stop. Overcome with emotion he found space on the half-forward flank to gather himself. Cameras gathered at a distance to capture what was a raw private moment played out in public.

In 2012, Clark will wear the No. 11 Stynes made famous. He has admitted he was like a little kid when he first met Stynes: starstruck and humbled by the gesture.

For his part Stynes had said when handing over the jumper that Clark had "a bit of spunk in him".

Clark did not need to find words. His emotional reaction told the whole story of their connection.

Clark was not alone in feeling the loss. What began to shine through from leader after leader was the impact the former president had on these young men from Melbourne and beyond.

Clint Bartram, whose own father Steve died from cancer in 2009, said Stynes was likely to be remembered more for the work he had done with young people away from the football club than for his football career.

"The amount of lives he touched for kids that had probably lost hope to a degree and made them realise that life is worth living and that they have got something special to offer … for him to bring that out of people. I sit in awe," said Bartram.

The awe in which the young players held Stynes has always been evident but to hear why was to get a measure of the man.

Nathan Jones said the thing that touched him most in his dealings with Stynes was his care. "He just knew when to come up and put his arm around you and give you some words of wisdom and pat you on the back and encourage you," said Jones.

The players knew they could trust Stynes' response. He was not just being nice because it was easy. His actions were dictated by their needs. "He was a brutally honest man," said Bartram. "But at the same time he had a lot of compassion and the combination of that always led to getting the best out of young people. He just had a way of connecting that is hard to explain."

Explaining that connection between Stynes and the players was what the 20-year-old co-captain Jack Trengove was being asked to do. As he said in the press conference he found it hard to know what to say. He found the right word in the moment however describing Stynes as "a hero".

It was not hard to understand why when you hear the effect of a conversation he had with Stynes after being named captain in February. "Jimmy just gave me every confidence that I was the right man for the job," said Trengove. "I don't know how he did it but he just managed to give you confidence you never knew you had. I came away from it just pumped to start the job and get underway."

The players are aware of the detail of Stynes' career. They understand people said he would not make it when he arrived from Ireland in 1984 at the age of 18. They know he played 244 consecutive games in his tally of 264 games, that he rebounded from a disastrous footballing mistake of conceding a 15m penalty that cost his team a place in a Grand Final and they know he won a Brownlow Medal in 1991.

But what they know best is the type of person that led their club as president.

"When he came in early that vibrant personality is what got us up and going," said Jones.

That was good enough for Jones in itself but to watch the humour and compassion and drive to restore the club continue even after he was diagnosed with cancer was remarkable.

"He continued to just give and help. There were days he came in, particularly when he had some tough times and you could tell he was sick but he wanted to be there and he wanted to make a difference," said Jones. "He was with us right to the end whether he was feeling 100 per cent or, probably, feeling the worst he has ever felt. His love for the footy club is something I will never forget." 

Today and the weeks to come will be all about remembering.

"He's going to be sorely missed but never forgotten," said Jones.