Neale Daniher's biggest battle

Another Melbourne coach struck down with a life-threatening illness. I knew he was ill, but didn't know what the illness was until I read this article. Hopefully he has many years of quality life left.

Very sad news. He got us to a grand final and during his reign I believe we had more final appearances of any Victorian side. A true legend of the club.

Yes. A friend of his told me a few weeks back he was in a bad way.

Very sad.

Very happy to hear the MFC welcomed him back last year

Terrible news. Rowdy has made an enormous contribution to the game, and especially to our club. His record as a coach was outstanding given the circumstances the club found itself in during his tenure (board upheavals, financial and facilities). He was also a magnificent player whose first knee injury in the second last game of 1981 almost certainly cost Essendon the flag. More than that he is great human being! All the best to Neale and his family.

crap I didnt realise it was MND. That is a very very horrible disease and im sorry to say not a good way to go. That is very sad news. Bloody hell he doesnt deserve this.

Very sad news. All the best Neale. Wishing you all the best with this fight.

Loved him as a coach - cried my eyes out that last game he coached us.

Very sad news - what an awful affliction for anyone. All the best ND.

I have the last football he signed after defeating Collingwood on QB.

It will never leave me.

He is a very smart and gracious man.

I'm so sorry that he has MND and the result may be so soon according to the article.

I hope they are so wrong.

God Bless you Neale

Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Danners!

Get well soon!

A great servant of the MFC1

10yr Coach

6 finals

3 top 4 finishes

1 GF

Last successful coach & almost won a flag!

His achievements are actually amazing when you consider Poor training facilities @ junction oval, continuos instability off the field, lack of funds

The club handled his exit very poorly....

Edited March 29, 201411 yr by Hogan2014

Yes, he was a great servant. No, he didn't nearly win a flag and no, I struggle to see how he was treated poorly.

He coached for a decade and had some good results and his time ran out.

Neil Daniher brought a great deal of joy into my life over the years, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Neil.

So so sad

He's not dead yet, guys. He's still fighting and should be admired, not pitied.

Yes, he was a great servant. No, he didn't nearly win a flag and no, I struggle to see how he was treated poorly.

He coached for a decade and had some good results and his time ran out.

His results were all achieved with 1 hand tied behind his back... The club at the time had the poorest training facilities going around! At times they would do preseason & would have to use cones as goal posts!

We have had only 3 coaches who played finals since our last flag... Northey 5 final series, Balme 1 & Daniher 6

Very sad to hear, but not surprising the way he's approaching his battle. He was always one to just "get on with it", and just a super bloke.

What he did with our club given his [censored] poor resources is nothing short of incredible, '98 and '00 being two years of my life I look back on with fond memories.

All the best in your fight Rev.

I remember a different Neale Daniher going back a lot further in time.

Somewhere back in the days of yore, I think it was Channel 7 that used to replay telecasts of schoolboy games on a Saturday morning. I think the year was 1978 which made young Neale Daniher from Assumption College, Kilmore a mere 17 year old. I was interested in ACK because someone had alerted me about some potential Melbourne recruits in the team but, as has been customary over the ages, they never amounted to much.

Neale Daniher was something else. Athletic, a smooth mover who had the ball on a string, it was clear from the very moment I saw him that he was a young champion in the making ... and it came to pass.

He was VFL recruit of the year in 1979 and was on his way to becoming a great of the game when he was appointed captain of Essendon in 1982 but never led the side due to injury. A succession of knee injuries kept his games tally down to 82 in a dozen seasons till 1990.

The choice of Daniher as coach of Melbourne was an inspired one and his reign brought much success but not the ultimate in those years and with the benefit of hindsight, I think he probably stayed a couple of years too long.

He fought adversity with courage as a player and I'm sure he'll fight with the same purpose and determination now as he did in his playing and coaching career. Champions never give in.

For all that, my abiding memory of him will remain that of the young colt running freely under lights on a windswept oval long ago.

Couldn't think of a worse way to go, my old man had it and its the most heart breaking way to see anyone go... You wouldn't even wish this on your worse enemy..

All the best to the Daniher family, some tough times ahead....

Cancer, cancer and now MND. Seriously this isn't the curse of Norm Smith this just plain ridiculous. Hopefully Neale can battle as hard to stop the progression and have quite a few years of good quality of life. Whilst his mind is healthy and body can function I'm sure he'll get the most out of himself. Testament to the guy that he's willing to keep working.

Yes, he was a great servant. No, he didn't nearly win a flag and no, I struggle to see how he was treated poorly.

He coached for a decade and had some good results and his time ran out.

I'm as big a supporter of ND's on here and always flair up when people can him but I don't think he was treated poorly.

He was given the option of finishing his contract but he would have to reapply for his job. The writing was on the wall after the Richmond loss and Neale wisely moved on. There appears to be no bitterness on his end either (as Caro, of all people, made clear in the article). He was in the rooms to deliver the rev up speech for Neita's 300th.

He and Swooper Northey were the two best MFC coaches of my lifetime. When Danners was coach, it was genuinely exciting to go to the footy. Reading this article was a kick in the guts.

What a bloody terrible disease to get. My thoughts are with his family.

Edited March 30, 201411 yr by Colin B. Flaubert

Hopefully he walks around the boundary so we can all shoe out public support.

A wonderful human with a great spirit. He loved this club and he loved his boys.

All the best Rev.

Cancer, cancer and now MND. Seriously this isn't the curse of Norm Smith this just plain ridiculous. Hopefully Neale can battle as hard to stop the progression and have quite a few years of good quality of life. Whilst his mind is healthy and body can function I'm sure he'll get the most out of himself. Testament to the guy that he's willing to keep working.

Shocking news. Jimmy Stynes, Sean Wight, Dean Bailey and now Neale Daniher. Keep fighting Danners!

Sorry to hear about Danihers illness and I wish him all the best in his fight.

The Rev was a great coach for us, and I still remember the Daniher years as the best in my time following footy. Though he didn't win us the ultimate prize, he got us closer than anyone else and had us playing good football for the majority of the time. It was a joy to go the footy when he was coach. Watch Travis Johnstone and Adem Yze hit Neitz on the chest for years were the best memories I have of my beloved Dees. The 2000 finals series was so exciting, and it's the only time I can remember where a Melbourne team just wanted to win more than everyone else.

Keep up the fight Neale. You're a legend!

No one could question his commitment to the Dees during his tenure with us.

Best wishes in dealing with that nasty disease Neale.

Life's cruel and we're reminded most days that nothing's permanent. I had no idea about Neil. Along with Bailey one of the better Melbourne Coaches, entertaining and an absolute character. IMV our best Coach since 66. can't remember anything before that. sitting here watching MFC get flogged in the second quarter quickly puts everything into perspective. Never know what's around the corner so don't hold back!!