Faced with the greatest fight of his life, football great and MND sufferer, Neale Daniher, shows us how to live well and make every day count.
NEALE DANIHER AM was born in 1961 in Ungarie, a tiny town in New
South Wales, the third of eleven children. A talented all-round
sportsman, Neale's passion was Australian Rules; he played for
Essendon Football Club in a promising but injury-plagued career
between 1979 and 1990. He was part of the famous Daniher football
dynasty: four brothers from the bush who played a combined 752
VFL/AFL games.
In football, his off-field achievements are in coaching at
Essendon, Fremantle and Melbourne football clubs, as inaugural CEO
of the AFL Coaches Association, and as general manager of football
operations with the West Coast Eagles.
Neale co-founded FightMND in 2014 after he was diagnosed with Motor
Neurone Disease. The foundation raises awareness and vital funds
for research to find a cure and better treatment for 'The Beast'
that takes two lives every day in Australia.
Neale was originally awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for
his tireless work in co-founding FightMND in 2016, in 2021 he was
elevated to Officer of the Order of Australia. The Big Freeze
highlights the former Dons Captain's unflagging determination to
find a cure for motor neurone disease, having raised $50 million
for treatment research since 2014. An 81-gamer with the Bombers
from 1979-1990 and club Hall of Fame inductee, Neale has been a key
figure in leading the FightMND campaign in helping educate the
public and driving fundraising initiatives for curing MND.
In 2016, Neale received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
award for services to community health and to Australian Rules
football.
He and his wife, Jan, live in Melbourne and are the proud parents
of Lauren, Luke, Bec and Ben.
To find out more about Neale Daniher please visit
www.nealedaniher.com
WARWICK GREEN is a freelance writer. He has been a journalist and
sports editor with The Age, the Sunday Age and News Corp. He
co-wrote bestsellers My Story with Jim Stynes and Pushing the
Limits with Kurt Fearnley. Warwick lives in Melbourne with Tif and
their three children Jock, Lex and Samantha.
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |