Live stream: Sydney grandfather Bill Biok, 82, pauses cancer treatment for AFL Masters National Carnival

A chance to go home and run out onto the field again was too much for Bill Biok to pass up - even if it meant putting a pause on his latest round of chemotherapy. Find out more about his inspiring journey to the AFL Masters National Carnival.

There is not much that could keep Bill Biok off the footy field.

Not even his latest round of chemotherapy.

The Sydney grandfather will take the field in his home state of Western Australia during the AFL Masters National Carnival next week at the spritely age of 82.

Biok will become the oldest player to ever pull on the boots at the annual football extravaganza, which will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV from September 29-October 5.

FIND OUT HOW TO WATCH THE AFL MASTERS NATIONAL CARNIVAL LIVE

But it is the lifelong Aussie rules fan’s decision to put a temporary hold on his treatment for bowel cancer, just to play in the tournament, which clearly shows how much passion flows through his veins.

NSW AFL Masters player Bill Biok will become the oldest player to take the field at the AFL Masters National Carnival next week.

Biok’s cancer has only recently spread from his bowel to his liver, but he has been given the all clear by his doctors to take a break from treatment.

“I’m going off chemo for two or three weeks in order play,” Biok revealed.

“Football keeps the mind off it.”

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This dedication to Australian rules football is nothing new for the veteran, who has been playing for over seven decades.

“My first organised game of football was in 1951,” he recalled with a laugh, noting he was just eight and a half years old when he started at Midland Junction Oval in Western Australia.

Biok’s passion for the sport has taken him across Australia. From his beginnings in Western Australia, he went on to play in South Australia before finally settling in Sydney.

“I didn’t initially know they played football here in Sydney,” Biok admitted.

AFL Masters veteran Bill Biok with his number one fan on the sidelines of a match.

Despite the initial surprise, he soon found his place in Sydney’s football scene, playing for North Shore Football Club, where he won his first, and only, individual honours.

“My only highlight was winning the Under-19s best and fairest in 1961 for North Shore Football Club,” he said.

“When we played juniors, there was one team in the North Shore, now you can go to any high school and play Australian football.”

While the accolades might not have come in his younger years, on the masters’ field, Biok has become the stuff of legend including being the “first to play at age 50, 60, 70 and 80” in NSW.

Now, at 82, he continues to defy expectations.

“I’m playing in the over 70s so I’m giving them 12 years,” he said.

“I’m happy to be out there and always have been.”

Biok, along with other veteran players, has been advocating for the reintroduction of traditional rules. This includes the special scoring system for drop kicks that was once a feature of the game, which awarded extra points.

NSW AFL Masters player Bill Biok will become the oldest player to take the field at the AFL Masters National Carnival next week.

“The rule was abolished around five years ago,” he said.

“Old timers were upset because dropkicks are a traditional part of the game, so they banded together to bring that rule back to the 35s to 70s categories.”

As the AFL Masters Carnival approaches, all eyes will be on Biok - not just as the oldest player on the field, but as a lasting testament to the enduring spirit of the game.

Every match from the AFL Masters National Carnival will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV from September 29-October 5. Sign up today at www.kommunitytv.com.au to make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action.

Originally published as Live stream: Sydney grandfather Bill Biok, 82, pauses cancer treatment for AFL Masters National Carnival