AFL MND campaigner Neale Daniher dies at 65

Neale Daniher, the former AFL footballer and coach who became a national symbol in the fight against motor neurone disease, has died at age 65. His death was confirmed on Monday, just two weeks before the annual Kings Birthday match between Melbourne and Collingwood, an event that has become closely tied to his FightMND charity and its Big Freeze fundraiser.

The Daniher family released a statement on Monday afternoon confirming that he passed away at home, surrounded by his family. “From day one, Neale was a fighter,” the statement said. “His determination was unmatched, choosing every day to find opportunity where others might see only challenge, and taking the fight to the Beast with everything he had. Even in the toughest times, he kept pushing forward, determined to land as many blows as he could against his toughest opponent, all with a cheeky grin and a sharp sense of humour that never left him.”

Daniher was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and made his condition public the following year. Doctors initially expected him to live only two to three years, but he defied that prognosis and spent more than a decade leading a fundraising and awareness campaign. He was named Victorian...