Melbourne City’s Rhali Dobson gets engaged on the pitch after retiring to support ill partner

“They’ve been phenomenal,” she said.

“I’d kept things pretty quiet because I wanted them to stay focused on making sure we had a strong finish to the end of the season. As we know, it’s been very up and down.

“They knew Matt had surgery and everything so they’ve been amazing in terms of messaging us both and making sure that we knew that they are here for us. They’ve been perfect.”

Dobson’s fiance was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, after having a seizure while playing football.

He had surgery for a second time earlier this month and will have aggressive radiotherapy, before 12 months of chemotherapy.

“Five days after his brain surgery he kicked my backside back down here to Melbourne, told me that I had to finish out the season, that I’ve got unfinished business and it was still normal as always”. Dobson said earlier this week.

“Then we got the news two days after I got back down here to Melbourne that the part that they took out – which they got all of, which is fantastic – had transitioned to a grade three brain tumour.

“This is bigger than the sport. He is my absolute world.”