Daniher died on May 25 at the age of 65<\/a> after a very public 13-year battle with MND.<\/p>\nDaniher vowed to dedicate his life to campaigning and raising awareness of MND, becoming the co-founder and patron of FightMND. He helped to raise more than $141m for medical research towards the fight against, what he dubbed it, \u2018The Beast\u2019.<\/p>\n
Daniher\u2019s unwavering commitment to his cause and service to the community was recognised by the Australian Government with an AM in 2016 and an AO in 2021. He won the Victorian of the Year award in 2019 and, in 2025, was named the Australian of the Year.<\/p>\n
Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The ceremony began with an address from master of ceremonies Hamish McLachlan, paying tribute to the man who \u201cchanged the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gather not in grief alone but in gratitude for a man who turned his hardest days into a gift for the rest of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a privilege to have lived in a time where we could learn from a man we celebrate, honour and remember today.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeale was the best of us in so many ways. He understood something many of us learn when it\u2019s too late that life\u2019s worth isn\u2019t in its length but what you do with the time you\u2019re given.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacinta Allan, Premier of Victoria. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Uncle Colin Hunter junior delivered the Welcome to Country and passed on his \u201cdeepest respect and condolences\u201d to the Daniher family.<\/p>\n
Scores of blue Big Freeze beanies and football scarfs could be seen as supporters and fellow AFL players made their way into the memorial service. <\/p>\n
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Daniher\u2019s wife Jan delivered a moving tribute to her husband. She began with a reference to a metaphor from the film Parenthood, in which the character Grandma debates whether to choose between the merry-go-round and rollercoaster. <\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma chose the rollercoaster and so did Neale,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rollercoaster (is) a metaphor for life \u2013 unpredictable, full of highs and lows, unexpected turns and sudden challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jan Daniher. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jan said her husband \u201cloved to learn\u201d and took many life lessons from his football career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lessons sport taught us helped set us up for life \u2013 working as a team, learning to win and to lose, learning resilience and discipline,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rode the bumps and the drops and the sharp curves, never knowing what was to come next. There were moments of joy and sadness, fear and love, strength and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy, it was incredibly difficult, but we faced each challenge together and never gave up.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pictorial tribute is shown during the Neale Daniher State Funeral. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ms Daniher became visibly emotional when talking about her husband\u2019s greatest joy and passion \u2013 fatherhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important role of all was becoming a father to our four children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gave him a new perspective on life, he adored being a dad, and it gave his life its greatest meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added Neale would be remembered for his \u201cintegrity, humility and honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c(He will also be remembered for) his sharp wit, his cheeky smile, his love of family and friends, and his wonderful love of laughter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is how we will remember Neale. I love you, darling.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘MND didnt define him’ – Jan Daniher | 01:30<\/p>\n
A pictorial tribute is shown. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Holding back tears, Daniher\u2019s daughter Lauren proudly remembered how her father \u201cnever folded\u201d in the face of his diagnosis. <\/p>\n
\u201cDad always said that when life throws you a challenge, you have two options: You can flourish, or you can fold,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd didn\u2019t you flourish?\u201d<\/p>\n
She said he courageously continued fighting MND until the very end. <\/p>\n
\u201cNone of this was easy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing the ability to communicate, to move, to breathe. <\/p>\n
Lauren Daniher. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have complained, but you never did.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got up each day and focused on what you could do, and you made the most of every single moment. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have folded, but you never did. And I have endless admiration for that determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said that while most knew Daniher from the football field or his fight against The Beast, she said the moments she\u2019ll miss the most were at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll miss walking through the front door and seeing you smile from your chair,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI will miss the look of annoyance when I misunderstood what you were trying to communicate. <\/p>\n
\u201cI will miss that cheeky grin you would have on your face while you typed a smart-arse comment.<\/p>\n
Luke Daniher. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesLuke Daniher kisses his dad\u2019s coffin after speaking on stage. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will play on for you, Dad. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniher\u2019s grandchildren also delivered touching tributes.<\/p>\n
His grandson Cooper spoke at the state funeral service on Wednesday afternoon with his dad Luke by his side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was born, pops couldn\u2019t hold me with his arms. He still found a way to rock me with his legs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when we couldn\u2019t talk, he used his machine to chat and called me and my brother Ollie cheeky monkeys.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy pops was strong, brave and courageous and I hope I can be like him when I grow up. I miss you Poppy, play on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luke Daniher is seen with Cooper. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan paid tribute to Daniher and his work to raise awareness for MND, saying that because of him there was a \u201cstream of light\u201d where there was only once a \u201cterrible darkness\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn my desk is a letter Neale sent to me late last year – it sits in front of me every day. In it, he wrote, \u2018You can\u2019t always choose what happens, but you can always choose how you respond. Waiting for certainty keeps you stuck and courage begins the moment you decide,\u2019\u201d Ms Allan said.<\/p>\n
Paul Kelly performs. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThose words have stayed with me – I think about them on hard days and they say so much about how Neale lived his life. He did not choose MND, but he did choose how he would meet it – with courage, with purpose, with love, by turning his own suffering into something that could help others.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of four Daniher brothers who would played in the VFL\/AFL, Daniher played 82 games for Essendon between 1979 and 1990. He won the Bombers\u2019 best and fairest award in 1981, but his career was cut down by knee injuries when he was shaping as one of the premier players of his generation.<\/p>\n
Terry Daniher. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesAnthony Daniher. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesMark Harvey. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Daniher quickly moved into coaching, becoming an assistant at Essendon under Kevin Sheedy then moving to Fremantle for a similar role for the club\u2019s first three seasons. He was then appointed Melbourne\u2019s senior coach ahead of the 1998 season \u2014 a role he held until the middle of the 2007 season. He led the Demons for 223 games \u2014 the third-most in club history \u2014 and guided the team to finals in six of his 10 seasons in charge, including the 2000 Grand Final. His win-loss ratio (48.65%) is the third-best in Melbourne history behind Norm Smith and Frank \u2018Checker\u2019 Hughes.<\/p>\n
Paul Hopgood and David Neitz.Source: Getty ImagesChris Fagan spoke.Source: Getty ImagesAaron Davey. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp AustraliaLynden Dunn and James McDonald. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesSteven Tingay. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
After six seasons as West Coast\u2019s general manager of football, Daniher stepped down from his role due to health reasons, but only made his MND diagnosis public the next year. Since then, Daniher has been a pillar of hope for those living with the condition.<\/p>\n
Rex Hunt. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesBrett Ratten. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesCarlton CEO Graham Wright . Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp AustraliaAFL CEO Andrew Dillon. Picture: Luis Enrique AscuiSource: News Corp AustraliaMatthew Pavlich. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesDean Cox. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesSimon Goodwin. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesJames Hird and Paul Little. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesSteven King, Senior Coach of the Demons. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesKysaiah Pickett and Latrelle Pickett. Picture: James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesMelbourne players arrive to honour and celebrate Neale Daniher\u2019s life. Picture: Luis Enrique AscuiSource: News Corp AustraliaScott Selwood. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesJoel Selwood. Picture: Daniel Pockett\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Family, friends, dignitaries, AFL greats and fans gathered at the MCG on Wednesday for a state funeral service…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":726904,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[63,689,3600,3423,653,10992,348622,2105,43,323240,352135,33693,86147,19096,647,58109,44,677,22401,6750,22177,352134,41,39,42,40,660,3439,16711],"class_list":["post-726903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-legend","tag-ben-waterworth","tag-fox-sports-news","tag-fremantle","tag-funeral-service","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-headlines","tag-health-reasons","tag-iconic-figure","tag-james-wiltshire","tag-kevin-sheedy","tag-mark-howard","tag-melbourne","tag-motor-neurone-disease","tag-news","tag-oceania","tag-senior-coach","tag-start-time","tag-state-funeral","tag-state-funeral-service","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-victoria","tag-western-australia","tag-win-loss-ratio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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