Melbourne AFL great Jim Stynes is confident he can beat cancer and says he feels like the end of his battle is in sight.

Stynes, 44, is undergoing radiation treatment after two of the five brain tumours he had removed earlier this year grew back.

But the Brownlow medallist and current Demons president showed his trademark optimism that he could regain his full health.

"I had an operation about 10 weeks ago where they took out five (tumours) and one of them grew back and another one has appeared while we were doing treatment," Stynes told the Nine Network on Thursday night.

"So instead of surgery, they decided to do a bit of radiation, so it wouldn't be as (debilitating).

"I'm just finishing that - that should be fine - and then they can get on with the rest of the treatment that I need.

"I really believe now that I'm on the home straight.

"This is a bit like tennis - you're in the third set and you want to close the match out but you don't and it becomes a bit drawn out.

"But I'm doing everything I possibly can, I've got a great team of specialists around me, I've got great people and the support I've had from the public and obviously friends and family has just been incredible."

Stynes said he had no intentions of scaling back his involvement while undergoing treatment, as he was focused on wiping off the rest of the Demons' debt.

Melbourne have wiped off about $4.3 million of the $5 million debt they faced when Stynes was elected president two years ago.

On field Melbourne made a bright start to 2010 with three wins from their first five games, but have won just one (plus a draw) from their past nine and are in 14th spot on the ladder.

However their on-field stocks were given a boost on Thursday when defenders Jared Rivers and Colin Garland and forward Ricky Petterd all signed two-year contracts.

Petterd has been sidelined by a shoulder injury since round six, but his re-signing warded off a potential raid by the Gold Coast given the 21-year-old grew up in south-east Queensland.

Rivers, 25, and Garland, 22, were also pleased to re-commit given their injury battles in recent years.

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