Melbourne has led the tributes for AFL champion and motor neurone disease warrior Neale Daniher after the 65-year-old’s death on Monday.

Daniher fought MND for more than a decade and became the voice and figurehead for the fight against “the beast”, raising millions of dollars in the process.

His playing days were spent at Essendon, but Daniher coached the Demons for a decade and proved his value in the box almost instantly as he took Melbourne from cellar dwellers to preliminary finalists in his first season.

The Heartland Club released a statement following the devastating news of Daniher’s death, celebrating his life, achievements, and the man he was.

“It is impossible to encapsulate in words the impact of Neale Daniher,” Melbourne Football Club President Steven Smith said.

“His courage transcended the football field, and his determination inspired an entire country. Neale was not driven by personal motivation; he was driven by helping others, right until the very end. He was a true leader and the definition of what it means to be selfless.

“Neale was a man of action not words and he embodied the saying, that he himself made famous, ‘the mark of a person is not what you say, but what you do’.

“He will be greatly missed by us all, but he will never be forgotten. To Jan, Bec, Ben, Lauren, Luke, and the entire Daniher family we extend our deepest sympathies.”

Essendon president Andrew Welsh hailed Daniher, who won the 1981 Crichton Medal for their best-and-fairest award and was named captain the next season, as having an impact beyond football.

“Neale will forever be a beloved Bomber and is one of the most remarkable people our game has ever produced,” he said.

“Neale came to Windy Hill in 1979 as one of the most gifted young footballers in the country. What followed was an 82-match playing career defined as much by courage in the face of injury as it was by brilliance on the field.

:He captained the Club, won a Crichton Medal, and earned the respect of teammates and opponents who knew they were watching something rare.

“While we never got to see the full measure of what he could have been as a footballer due to persistent injuries, it was his impact on others that truly defined him.

“His diagnosis of motor neurone disease in 2013 would have broken most people. Instead, in the face of adversity, Neale chose to fight, not just for himself but for the thousands of Australians who would come after him.

“Neale once said, ‘When all is said and done, more is said than done.’ He spent the rest of his life on the ‘doing’ side of that ledger.”

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon said the whole sporting community was heartbroken by Daniher’s death, saying his contributions to the game and the nation were “incredible”.

“The passing of Neale is a devastating loss not only for everyone fortunate enough to know him, but for everyone in our community for the selflessness that he represented,” he said.

“Neale was a brilliant player in his time on the field with Essendon and when injuries cut short his playing career, he was passionate and outstanding coach that guided Melbourne to six finals series, including the 2000 Grand Final.

“But his contribution to wider Australian life was simply incredible in the way he put himself at the forefront, despite the challenge of his own MND diagnosis, to raise awareness of the disease, champion fundraising efforts and search for a cure that he knew would likely not help him, but may help many thousands of other Australians in the future.

“I had the privilege of being on the Fight MND Board with Neale and the Big Freeze match, which he founded, has raised millions of dollars and Neale continued to work and push himself to motivate others to do more, even when his own illness affected his mobility and speech and he had more than earned the right to rest.

“As a past Australian of the Year in 2025, his values for how he lived his life, for the countless occasions he stepped forward to speak for those who did not have a voice, and acted for those who had no-one to stand up for them, will define how we will remember as one of the very greatest that we had the privilege to call a ‘football person’.

“We send our heartfelt condolences and love to his wife Jan, children Bec, Ben, Lauren and Luke and their partners, and the wider Daniher family, for a life of leadership and service that has given so much to football.”

Daniher also touched hearts in Western Australia during a stint as an assistant in the foundation years of Fremantle, before taking on the role of General Manager of Football at West Coast after his time at Melbourne.

He stepped away from the Eagles after being diagnosed.

West Coast’s current General Manager of Football, John Worsfold, said Daniher played an instrumental role in laying the foundations for the Eagles’ 2018 premiership.

“Neale was an amazing man that I was blessed to work alongside at the West Coast Eagles,” Worsfold said.

“His support through a tough rebuild phase played a big role in our Club quickly regaining a position where we went on to win our fourth premiership.

“Our friendship continued beyond our Eagles working days and I was extremely honoured to be invited to be the 37th person to take the slide into the Big Freeze pool at the ‘G.

“Neale was an inspirational leader who will be sadly missed, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

The AFL Coaches Association remarked they had lost a great.

“The fact the Neale Daniher Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the game over a ‘footy lifetime,’ is named after Neale is testament to the elevated standing he holds within our organisation,” a statement from AFLCA CEO, Alistair Nicholson read.

“An inaugural member of the AFLCA in 2002 and vice president of the first AFL Coaches Association Executive Committee in the same year, Daniher had a sizeable impact on coaching throughout his life.

It was amazing to see how Neale dedicated himself, much like he did in his coaching, to fighting the beast, raising awareness and funds to find a cure for MND through the establishment of the FightMND charity and the Big Freeze at the ‘G.

Neale’s efforts to raise millions of dollars for the cause were widely acclaimed and 12 years on from its inception the Big Freeze at the ‘G continues to grow year on year.

“On behalf of the AFLCA, we extend our deepest condolences to the Daniher family, the Melbourne Football Club, the Essendon Football Club, the wider AFL community, the players he coached, the coaches he coached with and everyone else who Neale has been associated with along the journey.

“We deeply admire the man and celebrate everything he’s achieved. In true Neale fashion, we play on. That’s how he would have wanted it.”

Before he took the reins at Melbourne, Daniher was an inaugural Fremantle assistant coach and served three seasons from 1995-97.

In 2025, he led the club’s Crossing for Inclusion along the Matagarup Bridge ahead of the Fremantle’s Purple Hands Foundation Game.

“The Fremantle Football Club extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of AFL Legend and 2025 Australian of the Year, Neale Daniher, following his courageous fight with MND,” a club statement said.

“Neale will be remembered fondly by the Fremantle family.”