The North Melbourne Football Club wishes to inform its members and the media that Ben Cunnington has had surgery after the discovery of a testicular tumour this week.

North GM football, Brady Rawlings, said scans had discovered a small tumour on Monday and it was fully removed on Tuesday afternoon.

“This has all happened very quickly, but our focus is on Ben and his family right now as they deal with this news and allow him to recover fully,” he said.

“From the diagnosis earlier in the week up until this point, we’ve moved quickly to ensure Ben is in the right hands medically and that he and his family have the right support around them.

“We ask that everyone respects Ben and his family’s privacy as this is a private health matter.

“Due to the sensitive nature of this news, we ask that the same level of respect and privacy be afforded to Ben’s wider family, friends, teammates, coaches and staff.”

The club will not make any further comment at this time.