A SEA of blue beanies has streamed into the MCG as punters join sporting royalty to farewell AFL legend and motor neurone disease crusader Neale Daniher.
Daniher, who became the symbol of the fight against MND, died on May 25 aged 65 after a 13-year public battle with what he called 'The Beast'.
On Wednesday, thousands of people flocked to the same hallowed grounds where Daniher played for Essendon and coached Melbourne, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leading tributes at the state funeral.
Daniher's wife, Jan, will offer the first eulogy, which will be followed by tributes from their four adult children Bec, Lauren, Luke and Ben.
His brother, Anthony Daniher, will offer a tribute along with Brisbane's two-time premiership coach, Chris Fagan, who worked with Daniher for many years at the Demons.
Former Melbourne captain David Neitz and teammate Paul Hopgood, who played for Daniher during his near decade-long tenure as the Demons' senior coach, will also speak.
Daniher was diagnosed with MND in 2013.
The average life expectancy is 27 months, but he survived for 13 years.
The disease confined Daniher to a wheelchair and took his ability to speak, but his voice continued to grow as he devoted the rest of his life to raising money for medical research and advocated for other people suffering from the disease.
FightMND, the charity he co-founded, has committed more than $141 million to medical research for treatments and ultimately to find a cure.
In 2025, Daniher was named Australian of the Year for his contributions in leading the fight against MND, inspiring millions of Australians with hope.
"I think it is safe to say that there has never been an award so unanimously agreed to by every single Australian," Mr Albanese said in his tribute to Daniher in parliament.
A record crowd packed the MCG on Monday and donned their distinctive FightMND blue beanies for the annual Big Freeze match.
More than 88,000 fans attended the King's Birthday clash between Collingwood and Melbourne, with about 100,000 digital beanies sold raising $2.5 million and Governor-General Sam Mostyn among those sliding into an ice bath.
Daniher is survived by his wife, their four children and six grandchildren.
He was one of 11 children raised by Jim and Edna Daniher on a farm at Ungarie, NSW, with the family making history in 1990 when Neale, along with brothers Terry, Anthony and Chris played in the same Essendon team.
Knee injuries cruelled Daniher's playing career, but he continued coaching Melbourne for nearly a decade, earning the nickname 'The Reverend'.
He was football manager at West Coast when he was diagnosed with MND.
