Adam Ramanauskas Biography

Cancer survivor Adam Ramanauskas has urged Hawthorn fans to temper their expectations of an early-season return for Jarryd Roughead.

"What can happen, if he pushes it too hard, too early, that can be a major setback for weeks at a time, not just a day or two," Ramanauskas told RSN radio.

"I think he's out there, he's enjoying training and he's seeing how it goes.

"There's a lot of issues around getting your heart-rate too elevated in the early stages of his recovery. He'll need to be very, very mindful of that."

On the eve of his 250th game, Stephen Milne says he owes his career to Adam Ramanauskas.

"I got knocked back and wasn't getting any letters from any AFL clubs after a couple of OK years at the Stingrays and then I did a pre-season at Frankston," Milne said.

"I was lucky enough to be mates with Adam Ramanauskas and I got the invite to Essendon. I wouldn't be here if I didn't get that invite down."

Melbourne president Jim Stynes, recently diagnosed with cancer, has spoken to fellow cancer-sufferer Adam Ramanauskas about how he dealt with his ailment.

"I had a great conversation with Adam Ramanauskas last week because he's been through something similar and it has this kind of public attention," Stynes said.

"If it was more than 12 months ago I might have been able to do it on the quiet, it would have been just a little story and it would have made it a lot easier.

"He was great and I'm sure a lot of people will want to send me best wishes notes and I love hearing from people but I need to really focus on me."

Adam Ramanauskas says being part of a team environment really helped in his battles with cancer.

"When you're playing football you just want to be one of the boys and you don't want to be treated any differently," Ramanauskas said.

"That was the great thing I had when I was still playing at the footy club. I wasn't treated any differently - I was one of the boys and part of the team."

Adam Ramanauskas hopes to use his varied football and life experiences to advantage in his new role as a player manager with Elite Sports Properties.

Adam Ramanauskas serves as a coach in an AFL high-performance training camp in Pretoria, South Africa.

Young players from several regions across South Africa attend the camp with more than a few to be selected as part of the under-19 South African team to play in the upcoming AFL Indigenous Youth tour of the country next year.

"The kids have been fantastic. I had a full day with them yesterday and their enthusiasm and willingness to learn is just amazing," Ramanouskas said. "They just love the shape of the ball and the pace of the game."