NEALE Daniher, the inspirational MND research campaigner and former Essendon player and Melbourne coach, has passed away.

He died on Monday, at home and surrounded by family, at the age of 65.

Daniher was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013 and soon dedicated his life to raising awareness and funding to help find effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for the devastating condition.

He raised more than $115 million for research through his Fight MND charity with the annual Big Freeze becoming an important and much-loved fundraising event since 2015.

Even after the disease that Daniher called 'The Beast' took hold he continued to turn to his typical humour and motivational statements to encourage support for those living with MND.

One of his most well-known calls to action was, "When it is all said and done, more is said than done".

Daniher was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for his tireless efforts in raising awareness of MND and fighting to find a cure for the disease.

He was promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to people with motor neurone disease and their families through advocacy, public education and fundraising initiatives".

And in January 2025, he was honoured as Australian of the Year for his ongoing advocacy  and fundraising work, saying at the time that it was hard to believe "a boy from outback Australia from a small town" could receive such an award.

The FightMND charity continues to accept direct donations and offers clothing and merchandise to raise funds including the popular blue 'Big Freeze' beanies. The 12th edition of the Big Freeze fundraising event is scheduled to be held on June 8, ahead of the King's Birthday game between Melbourne and Collingwood.

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Daniher played for Essendon from 1979-90, starring across half-back in 66 matches in his first three seasons before multiple knee injuries curtailed a career full of promise.

He won the Bombers' best and fairest award in 1981 and was appointed captain for the 1982 season at the age of 22 but was prevented from ever leading the side due to injury.

After several failed comebacks Daniher finally returned to play five matches in 1985 before being struck down by injury again. He missed out on playing in the Bombers' premierships in 1984 and 1985.

He returned again to play 11 matches in 1989-90 including in round 22 of his final season when he joined siblings Terry, Anthony and Chris to make history as the first four brothers to play for the same team in a VFL/AFL match.

The four Danihers also played together earlier in 1990 when representing New South Wales in a State of Origin match against Victoria.

Neale came close to starting his career with South Melbourne but followed Terry to the Bombers after being included in an agreement for his older brother to be traded at the end of 1977 in exchange for Neville Fields.

The Swans soon recognised Neale's sporting talents but after a legal battle the Bombers won the right to recruit the then 17-year-old at the end of 1978.

Daniher finished his luckless playing career with 82 matches and 32 goals for the Bombers.

After a year playing for Werribee in the VFA, Daniher moved into an assistant coaching role at Essendon ahead of the 1992 season.

He was part of the coaching group as the Bombers won the 1993 premiership and stayed at the club for another year until joining Fremantle for their debut season in 1995.

Daniher was appointed senior coach of Melbourne for the 1998 season and led the club to a preliminary final at the first attempt.

The Demons improved on that in Daniher's third season in charge when they beat reigning premiers North Melbourne by 50 points in a preliminary final to set up a clash with his former club Essendon.

But the Demons were no match for the commanding Bombers team that only lost one match for the season, and went down in the 2000 AFL Grand Final by 60 points.

In a conscious effort to raise the Demons' profile, Daniher became more outspoken and prominent in the media and was soon nicknamed 'The Reverend' for his preaching skills that would also serve him well later in life.

Daniher coached the Demons to four more finals campaigns but could take them no further than a semi-final appearance in 2006.

After the Demons started the 2007 season with nine straight defeats, Daniher announced that he would resign at the end of the season.

Two victories followed but a 49-point thumping by lowly Richmond raised the pressure on Daniher and he announced that the round 13 match against Essendon would be his last as coach of Melbourne. The Demons lost the match by two points.

He coached the Demons in 223 matches including 12 finals, for 108 wins and a draw, and later became a mentor to the club's premiership drought-breaking coach Simon Goodwin.

Daniher moved to West Coast as general manager of football operations for the 2008 season and stayed with the club until standing down due to health concerns in September 2013.

He would keep those issues private until revealing in August 2014 that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease then becoming a passionate and inspirational advocate in the fight against the degenerative condition.

Daniher remained a beloved figure at both Melbourne and Essendon. He was inducted into Essendon's Hall of Fame in 2022, and was central to Melbourne's premiership celebrations at the MCG after the club's drought-breaking premiership win in 2021, having also been added to the Demons' Hall of Fame that year. He also received the AFL's John Kennedy Lifetime Achievement award in 2018. 

Neale Daniher is survived by his wife Jan, his children Bec, Ben, Lauren and Luke and their families.