25 Facts About Neale Daniher

Neale Francis Daniher was born on 15 February 1961 and is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Neale Daniher was later the coach of the Melbourne Football Club between 1998 and 2007, and held coaching positions with Essendon, Fremantle and West Coast.

Neale Daniher's advocacy resulted in him being named the 2025 Australian of the Year.

Neale Daniher attended St Joseph's Catholic School, Ungarie for his primary education before going to St Patrick's College in Goulburn and later Assumption College, Kilmore, where he finished Year 12.

Neale Daniher then went to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, where he learned about the emerging technology of the 1980s such as computers, obtaining a computer science degree.

Neale Daniher was appointed captain in 1982 but never led the side due to injury.

Neale Daniher retired at the end of the 1990 season but then played for Werribee in the Victorian Football Association in 1991.

Neale Daniher joined the Fremantle Football Club as an assistant coach under senior coach Gerard Neesham for their inaugural season in 1995, where he served in that position until the end of the 1997 season.

However, the Demons under Neale Daniher were eliminated by the Adelaide Crows at the MCG in the second semi-final.

The Demons under Neale Daniher lost the last nine games in a row in the 2003 season; this put Neale Daniher's coaching position under scrutiny.

The 2005 season saw the Demons under Neale Daniher enjoyed a similar run near the top of the ladder, but another late-season fade-out saw them temporarily lose their spot in the eight, before reclaiming their position with close wins over the Western Bulldogs and Geelong, and therefore making the finals, when they finished seventh with twelve wins and ten losses.

However, The Demons under Neale Daniher were comprehensively beaten and eliminated by Geelong in the elimination final, which saw a second consecutive first week finals exit for the club.

The Demons under Neale Daniher improved in the 2006 season, after losing the first 3 games of the season, the club then finished seventh on the ladder and therefore made the finals.

Melbourne under Neale Daniher eliminated St Kilda in the second elimination final in the first finals week.

However, the Demons under Neale Daniher were eliminated by Fremantle in the semi-finals.

On 27 June 2007, Neale Daniher announced that he would resign as Melbourne Football Club senior coach at the end of the 2007 season.

However, two days later, on 29 June 2007, Neale Daniher reversed this decision and officially announced that the Round 13,2007 clash against Essendon would be his last game as Melbourne Demons senior coach.

Neale Daniher was then replaced by assistant coach Mark Riley as caretaker senior coach for the rest of the 2007 season.

Neale Daniher was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013 and the diagnosis was made public the following year.

Neale Daniher decided to dedicate the remainder of his life to educating Australians about the disease.

Neale Daniher became co-founder and patron of the charity, Fight MND, which raises money for research through major events, direct donations and the sale of clothing and merchandise including blue and grey beanies.

The Neale Daniher Trophy, awarded to the match's best player, is named in his honour.

Neale Daniher received a Member of the Order of Australia award in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours list for his efforts in raising awareness of MND and raising funds to help find a cure for the disease.

Neale Daniher was promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia 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".

In 2025, Neale Daniher was named Australian of the Year in recognition of his fundraising and determination in fighting MND.