Liam Durkin
By LIAM DURKIN
NEALE Daniher AO was farewelled from this life last Wednesday.
He was 65.
Daniher was rightfully given a state funeral, in recognition of his extraordinary philanthropy.
Through FightMND, he helped raise more than $115 million toward medical research to help find a cure for motor neuron disease – the very disease that befell him.
Fittingly, his state funeral was held at the MCG.
Daniher was a star footballer for Essendon, and revered coach at Melbourne before his health took a fatal turn.
He captained Essendon and coached Melbourne for 10 years.
Demon players David Neitz and Paul Hopgood shared some lighter moments from their time having Daniher as their strict, no-nonsense coach.
That approach extended to local football, as Daniher’s son and former Moe footballer Ben said during his tribute.
“I played my first game back in local footy after lockdowns and admittedly I wasn’t in the best shape,” referring to his time with Moe in 2022.
“As always, I went over to dad’s place the next day and we started talking about the game. Straight away he asked ‘how much you weighing in at these days?’ I said ‘yeah look, tough lockdown, but I’m an inside midfielder now, bit of a Patty Cripps build’. “I could see him grinning as he typed out his response. He said ‘well you’re not Crippa, and Crippa’s not fat’.”
The younger Daniher must have heeded the message, as improved fitness saw him selected in Moe’s most recent team of the decade.
“My father meant everything to me, the way he lived his life, showed me how I wanted to live mine,” he said during his tribute.
“He taught me the things that matter, and the things that don’t.”
Ben was joined by siblings Loz, Luke, Bec, their mother Jan and Neale’s brother Anthony in leading tributes to a truly great Australian.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan also spoke.
Australian music icon Paul Kelly performed the famous footy anthem Leaps and Bounds.
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan, whom Daniher gave his first coaching job, rounded out the service.
Fagan said his enduring memory from the Lions’ 2024 AFL premiership was the goal kicked by Neale’s nephew Joe Daniher in the game’s final moments.
After the service, patrons formed a guard of honour outside the MCG, with the motorcade (appropriately) journeying down Daniher’s Way.
