Neale Daniher’s granddaughter heartbreakingly admitted “I wish he came back” as the AFL legend’s family delivered touching tributes to the former Australian of the Year at the MCG.
Neale Daniher’s granddaughter heartbreakingly admitted “I wish he came back” as the AFL legend’s family delivered touching tributes to the former Australia n of the Year at the MCG.
Daniher died on May 25 at the age of 65, following a 13-year battle with motor neurone disease , which he dubbed “The Beast”. His funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon, with grandson Cooper stepping up at the state service alongside dad Luke to say: “When I was born, pops couldn’t hold me with his arms. He still found a way to rock me with his legs.
“Even when we couldn’t talk, he used his machine to chat and called me and my brother Ollie ‘cheeky monkeys’. Daniher’s grandson Cooper said his pop would call him and his brother ‘cheeky monkeys’. Picture: Sky News Granddaughter Rosie said she would ‘still read’ to her late grandfather. Picture: Michael Klein HeraldSun / Pool /NewsWire “My pops was strong, brave and courageous and I hope I can be like him when I grow up.
I miss you Poppy, play on. ”“I love Poppy very much, I wish he came back,” she said.
“I love everywhere he took me when I was born. He would rock me to sleep on his legs. I love reading to pop and I can still read to him.
“I wish he could come back to the Big Freeze. Poppy, I see you as a star in the sky. I hope you got to see me push the sliders down. Earlier in the service, Daniher’s wife Jan delivered an emotional tribute and 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.
“The rollercoaster a metaphor for life – unpredictable, full of highs and lows, unexpected turns and sudden challenges. ”“The lessons sport taught us helped set us up for life – working as a team, learning to win and to lose, learning resilience and discipline,” she said.
“We 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.
“It wasn’t easy, it was incredibly difficult, but we faced each challenge together and never gave up. Supporters, friends and family have packed the MCG to say goodbye to Neale Daniher. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty Ms Daniher became visibly emotional when talking about her husband’s greatest joy and passion – fatherhood.
“It gave him a new perspective on life, he adored being a dad, and it gave his life its greatest meaning. ”“ his sharp wit, his cheeky smile, his love of family and friends, and his wonderful love of laughter,” she said. Holding back tears, Daniher’s daughter Lauren proudly remembered how her father “never folded” in the face of his diagnosis.
“Dad always said that when life throws you a challenge, you have two options: You can flourish, or you can fold,” she said. Daniher's daughter Lauren said Neale courageously fought MND until the very end. Picture: Sky News An emotional Bec Daniher broke down paying tribute to her dad Neale Daniher. Picture: Michael Klein HeraldSun / Pool /NewsWire The MCG, where Daniher starred as a footy legend, was the site of his state funeral on Wednesday.
Picture: Sky News“None of this was easy,” she said.
“You could have complained, but you never did. “You could have folded, but you never did. And I have endless admiration for that determination. ” She said that while most knew Daniher from the football field or his fight against The Beast, she said the moments she’ll miss the most were at home.
“I will miss the look of annoyance when I misunderstood what you were trying to communicate. ‘A beautiful brother’ Daniher’s brother Anthony said he was “a beautiful brother” and instilled his family values of loyalty, discipline and fun into everything he did. “The one who laughed with us, he teased us, gave us advice, whether we asked for it or not, and always stood beside us. Neale Daniher has been remembered by family, friends and AFL colleagues.
Picture: Michael Klein HeraldSun / PoolBrisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan said his long-time colleague and friend was “blunt and honest” but had a profound impact on his life.
“He wouldn’t hesitate to give you … feedback but you knew it’d come from a great place. “Neale made me feel valued, he gave me confidence, he believed in me. I’m so thankful to him for that.
“I’ve been so fortunate to be a mate of his. Thank you to Neale for making the world a better place. ”The ceremony began with an address from master of ceremonies Hamish McLachlan, paying tribute to the man who “changed the nation”.
“We gather not in grief alone but in gratitude for a man who turned his hardest days into a gift for the rest of us,” he said. “What a privilege to have lived in a time where we could learn from a man we celebrate, honour and remember today. Essendon great Mark Harvey arrives for Daniher’s funeral. Picture: Michael Klein / NewsWire “Neale was the best of us in so many ways.
He understood something many of us learn when it’s too late that life’s worth isn’t in its length but what you do with the time you’re given. ” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan paid tribute to Daniher and his work to raise awareness for MND, saying that because of him there was a “stream of light” where there was only once a “terrible darkness”.
“As a coach, Neale was rightly known as ‘The Reverend’. It suited him – a deep thinker, a fierce competitor, a man who understood football but more than that he understood people,” she said.
“When Neale spoke, people felt it, he brought them in - not around anger or grievance but around purpose, around hope, around the belief that if enough people cared, something could change. ” “On my desk is a letter Neale sent to me late last year - it sits in front of me every day. In it, he wrote, ‘You can’t 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. ’“Neale was the best of us in so many ways. He understood something many of us learn when it’s too late that life’s worth isn’t in its length but what you do with the time you’re given.
” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan paid tribute to Daniher and his work to raise awareness for MND, saying that because of him there was a “stream of light” where there was only once a “terrible darkness”.
“As a coach, Neale was rightly known as ‘The Reverend’. It suited him – a deep thinker, a fierce competitor, a man who understood football but more than that he understood people,” she said.
“When Neale spoke, people felt it, he brought them in - not around anger or grievance but around purpose, around hope, around the belief that if enough people cared, something could change. ” “On my desk is a letter Neale sent to me late last year - it sits in front of me every day. In it, he wrote, ‘You can’t 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. ’ “Those 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. “In 2024, I had the honour of announcing Neale as Victoria’s Australian of the Year. By then, MND had cruelly robbed Neale of so much – his voice, his movement, so much of what we all take for granted.
“But on that night, after Neale accepted his award, up on stage he lifted himself up – he rose from his wheelchair, and he stood tall and proud. ”Uncle Colin Hunter Jr delivered the Welcome to Country and passed on his “deepest respect and condolences” to the Daniher family. Daniher’s biggest challenge began in 2013 when he was diagnosed with MND – an incurable disease that slowly destroys the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
In the 13 years since his diagnosis, Daniher became an advocate for the disease, co-launching FightMND. The fundraiser has raised more than $141m for medical research, supporting families and finding a cure for MND. On Saturday, thousands packed the MCG to celebrate the 12th annual The Big Freeze fundraiser, with a $40m donation from Queensland couple Quentin and Kylie Birt as well as $500,000 from the Victorian government.
In a statement, Premier Jacinta Allan said the state “stands with Neale’s family” and “every day to back FightMND and the vital research to find aa cure”.
“We will always continue Neale’s fight because it’s everyone’s fight to drive this disease to defeat,” she said. Thousands queued to attend the state funeral service for Neale Daniher at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein / NewsWireScores of blue Big Freeze beanies and football scarfs could be seen as supporters and fellow AFL players made their way into the memorial service.
After a series of knee injuries, Daniher was named senior coach for Melbourne Football Club in 1998, leading the football club to the grand final in 2000.
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