Collingwood president Jeff Browne speaks for the first time about his battle with cancer

Jeff Browne has spoken for the first time about the toughest fight of his life as he battles cancer. But as Mark Robinson reveals, he’s doing it with the typical Browne brashness.

Jeff Browne has spoken about his battle with cancer. Picture: Britta Campion

Jeff Browne never minces his words.

“I’ve got cancer, but I’m not dying of cancer. I’m living with cancer,’’ he says.

“And I’ve got to kick the f***er sideways because I’ve still got so much more to do.’’

In Browne’s first interview since the Magpies won the premiership, he says it will be a formidable battle and one he’s confronting head-on in typical Browne brashness.

“We won the battle last Saturday and now I’m ready to beat the next battle,” he says

The Collingwood president, businessman and one-time media giant has revealed he has myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow.

On this day, he talks as though it’s a footy injury, and he’ll be back soon enough conquering the world, just as a player says he’s working diligently to recover from a hamstring.

Collingwood president Jeff Browne with the 2023 premiership cup. Supplied

Yet, he concedes he’s had his private moments too, thinking about his life and his mortality.

“Have I lived a good life? Have I been a good person? You know, I’ve had a f**king amazing life,’’ he says.

“ I’m so grateful for that.

“But I’ve stepped through all of this because I’m a methodical, positive person and I’ll just do what I’ve got to do.

“And, mate, if I have to hit the wall I’ll be hitting it hard.

“I don’t want to have treatments that mean I can play golf twice a week and go to Bali for a holiday every second month … that’s not me.’’

The shock diagnosis was made about a month ago when Browne was in Cabrini hospital being treated for pneumonia.

“The doctor came into my room and said ‘I’ve got really great news, I think we’ll get you over the pneumonia’,’’ he says.

“And then she said I’ve got multiple myeloma.

“And we talked about that, she explained it to me.

“Anyway, I’ve started treatment and, mate, let me tell you all my blood tests are within range, I’m responding really well to it.’’

Browne, 72, is undergoing chemotherapy twice a week and is nearing the end of a 10-day radiotherapy program. We spoke on day four.

After this interview, he was chairing a board meeting at his $300 million car-making company Walkinshaw and then was heading to the Peter Mac Centre for treatment.

He says he has lost muscle mass, but still weighs 92kg. “I’m eating like a horse because I don’t want to lose weight,’’ he says.

As he’s speaking one of his staffers at Walkinshaw brings him a coffee and a small pastry, which is adorned with black and white frosting and has a Magpie bird on it. “That’s looks magnificent,’’ he says, beaming.

Browne and McRae after the grand final. Picture: Getty Images

“You know, I feel good. I feel like I’m 17. I’m brand new.’’

Family were immediately made aware of his cancer diagnosis, while friends and the players and coaches at Collingwood have known for several weeks.

Others have been concerned about his health since his pneumonia episode.

“I kept it really private, I didn’t want to say anything, but so many people are talking about it,’’ he says.

“The people are chattering and quite frankly I’ve been overwhelmed.

“I’ve got three amazing children, and friends.

“To every board I chair, I’ve said ‘Look, I might have to stand down’, and they all said ‘bullshit, just take the time you want and we’ll step up and you come back when you need to. It was nice.’’

One of the most emotional situations came when Browne told the coaches and players ahead of Collingwood’s preliminary final against the Giants.

In the telling, he wasn’t trying to make it about himself, nor trying to inspire the players.

“I had to share that with them because we’re all one, we’re all in this,’’ he says. ‘’This is one club. The day belongs to the players and the coaches, no question, and I’m stepping back from any credit for this because it belongs to the players and the coaches, but I’m their president, I had to share that with them because I wanted them to know.

“It was an unbelievably emotional meeting.’’

He asked the coaches and players into a room at the footy club.

“I pulled up a chair, they sat in front of me and I said, ‘You guys have got an opportunity’. I said: ‘Most people wake up every day and they think their future is like this (arms spread), but when you realise it is like this (fists clenched together), you know you have to make the most of every opportunity you’ve got because you can’t be guaranteed another one’.

Browne is staying positive.

‘’And the reaction I got from the players and the things that were said to me after the game were wonderful.’’

He treasures a photo of himself standing arm-in-arm between with great mate Peter Moore and Darcy Moore, and another of coach Craig McRae embracing him on the ground.

He was lucky to make it through to the post-match premiership celebrations. “Of course, I had to be there, but I wasn’t great that day,’’ he says.

In the morning, despite feeling jaded, he attended the North Melbourne breakfast to honour an invitation from Kangaroos president Sonja Hood.

But at the official AFL lunch hours later at the MCG, which was hosted by commission chairman Richard Goyder, Browne was ill in the toilet stall.

He was bemused when an AFL official called him when he was in the toilet, asking him to return to his seat because outgoing AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan was about to speak. “Yeah, that didn’t make me happy,’’ he says.

McLachlan was one of the first people to know of Browne’s diagnosis.

“The first person that came to see me at the hospital was Craig Kelly, the second was Gill,’’ he says.

Browne sat next to Peter Moore throughout the grand final and when the final siren sounded, he turned to his three children – Tom, Sarah and Sam – who sat directly behind him.

“That was a special moment,’’ he says. “And it was made even more special particularly in the circumstances.’’

Browne with Darcy and Peter Moore post siren. Picture: Michael Klein

Browne attended Friday night’s Copeland Trophy and is hoping to attend Bathurst on Sunday, where his Walkinshaw Andretti United racing team will “take on everyone else at the mountain’’.

Despite the challenges, there’s no “woe me’’ attitude from Browne.

“Absolutely none, mate. As I said, if I’m going to hit the wall, it’s going to be hard, they’re going to scrape me off,” Browne says.

He says he will continue to live life accompanied by the three elements of success which have underpinned his approach to business life.

“I’m not out of my comfort zone, I’ll work it out, I know what I have to do and I’ll do whatever I have to do,’’ he says.

“That’s the way I’ve always approached things. I get asked to talk to seminars and companies and businesses and my message has been, constantly, what are the elements of success? Vision. A well thought-out plan. And disciplined execution. You’ve just got to get those three right.’’

And his life philosophy?

‘’Love your family. Appreciate them. And do as many good things as you can for other people. And die with a smile.’’