He built and commandeered an army. An army who donned blue beanies and plunged into the ice and took action, knowing the leader would one day lose his life to the enemy.
This is a bit of a different episode for us. Following the passing of Neale Daniher after a 13-year fight with motor neurone disease, we take a moment to reflect on a life that changed far more than footy.
We hear Neale's own words from 2019, a message for his grandson about courage, responsibility, and facing life when it isn’t fair.
Then Tim Watson, former teammate and close friend of Neale's, who joins us to share what he was really like: the competitor, the conductor, the mate… and the force of nature who built a movement that united a nation. The Daniher family mobilised an army to take the fight to MND. And now, as Neale told us, we play on.
A conversation about legacy, resilience, and what we can do to make the biggest difference.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
You have one with something new, careful? What would it be?
I want to tell you a story. I like telling
his stories. I'm my new grandfather. I mean my mans
don't Cooper. I can't protect Cooper, Babs. I love him,
(00:27):
my wish for him it is for him. Do understand
a few thinks? Love good, but life don't promise to
be fair. I'd like to tell Cooper, look, mate, will
be a good time, but they'll be hard time. They will
(00:50):
be mandaint on. Life can be tough. And my wisk
from Cooper is they didnt can conduct himself in the
place of hearts. Love is difficult. Love is tough. Which
for who like I? Which we you people? And you'll
(01:15):
wish the people you'll gain. Conduct yourself in the right
man number. Things get tough because in love and not ip,
it will be tough. It just went an how often
and when that happens for him? I don't want him
(01:35):
the fall. I don't want him to be another life victim.
So what is the right way? What is the right
way take to conduct yourself in difficult tom The right
way it's somehow comming the carriage, the moral courage to
(02:03):
attack responsibility and sometimes you'll say well, I want my pop.
I was the victim. It's not my over the one ability,
it's not one else Na. No matter what happens, it's
(02:24):
up to you to do something about it. Have the
courage they accept with supponsibility. Don't show away from it,
don't bold, don't progression that, don't amboll it. The's on
my lolth am I doing that. What will emerge in
(02:46):
tidier is the better side of your character. They will
allow you to provail. I'll allow you to move through it.
And might have been laid trained then. And that's why
I have but kid for learns. I'm finding backing responsibility
(03:10):
means looking for the opportunity. When love gets difficult, you
think it's the time right, there's no opportunity. There's always opportunity.
I've diagnosed whether those days that will kill me and
(03:31):
no treatment, no cure, nohpe somesday, where's the opportunity? I
tell you, if you're in the blame game, if you're
in why it's for me, bar bagg of me? You
never find it. You're looking at the blame someone. There's
(03:55):
always opportunity. My opportunity was the vite MND and don't
allow me the Bavar. It don't allow me the vine
purpose to then what's happening to me? I wait, Gooba
(04:18):
learns what the right way is. I can't protect him,
He's got to tag on that with buntability him though
you're added to and then he's telcome down then too
your way. That's something not only to wish for, but
(04:43):
that's why too. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
The late great Neil Denaher addressing the Melbourne Football Club
in twenty nineteen. How lucky we are and how lucky
Cooper will always be that such a brilliant and beautiful
man imparted his wisdom and ethos with us. Put simply,
the world is an infinitely better place for having had
Neil in it, who passed away on Monday after a
thirteen year fight with the beast that is modern neuron disease.
(05:15):
The thing about Neil, though, was he didn't just fight.
He built and commanded an army in a way that
we had never seen anyone do so, an army who
donned blue beanies and plunged into the ice and took action,
knowing the leader would one day lose his life to
the enemy. George, there's a lot of negativity in our
sporting world if you want to look for it. There's sacking,
(05:36):
there's infighting, there's boys club allegations and even social media vitriol.
But when you look out over the MCG on that
Monday match, no matter who the teams support, and you
see that sea of blue, you can't help but be
reminded of about the good in people and the good
that can be done with this incredible community when we
stand together. We were scheduled to have Begdana her join
(05:58):
us today, but understand the fight M and d CEO
has taken some time to remember her wonderful dad.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So we are joined. God, I almost got there.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
We are joined by the very first slider, someone who
I'm so lucky to call a friend. And when I
called and said do you mind coming on, Tim Watson,
he said, of course, because we need to, and as
Neil said in his own words, play on and we
are going to take on this beast in any way,
shape or form that we can. Tim, thank you so
so much for joining us and having a chat with
(06:28):
us on two good sports. It is sad that these
are the circumstances that we have to welcome you onto
the pod for the first time, but condolences in losing
such a great mate.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So much love.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
Thank you, baby. Look, I'm really happy to talk to
you at a really sad time. But at the same time,
he was such an inspiration to so many people. I'm
more than happy to talk about him.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
He was a man that Jeremy rightly said there, Tim,
you know, he didn't just fight.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
He scrapped.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
He fought tooth and nail. He would scratch for a week.
He would kick you, I'm sure if he could do.
You know, he was the ultimate competitor. Be it as
a player, certainly, be it as a coach the reverend,
but you knew him as a friend as well as
all of that.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Who was neil to you?
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Well, it was all those things, you know, like he
just he wasn't warm and fuzzy. He was honest and
he was direct and even like the last time, we
sort of have these gatherings which he organized. So these
rolled old people from his earliest days at Essenen and
(07:39):
he would organize everything, including the rundown. It was a luncheon,
but there was a rundown associated with it. And then
I was given strict instructions verbally and then nonverbally off
the screen later when he couldn't converse. And then if
he thought something was going too long or somebody was
uninteresting and not funny enough lunch and had taken a
(08:01):
turn that he wasn't particularly happy about, he would just
give me this look and a grunt, And then I
knew that we had to move. We had to move,
we had to move on. He liked to be the
conductor of any orchestra that he was involved in and
anybody that crossed his But he was a force of nature,
a real force of nature.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
And but.
Speaker 5 (08:22):
Like I know, we're probably all reflecting on what he
meant to us and why we were so influenced by him.
And got to the point where I thought, you know,
some much bullshit in this world now, and there's so
much pr and there's so much spin. And then somebody
comes along like he does, and we know they're authentic.
(08:43):
He tells us that he's dying, he's never going to
be saved by any of what he's doing on Earth
while he's still alive with this, and everyone just thought, well, okay,
I want to be on his team. And the team
started sort of like in this small circle around him
and it just grew and grew and grew and right
across the nation. People don't know that Neil Donna. A
(09:04):
lot of people probably don't know that deal. Neil Dannah
had played DFL football, as Stroke may not. Probably didn't
know that he coached. But they know him, they know
of him, and they know how he went about what
he tried to do and what he did. He didn't
just try to do and he did it like he
just sort of shoone this massive light. When men do
what it is and move, people moved. Politicians moved, influential
(09:28):
people move money, people moved, everybody of every walk of
life in this country to try and do something actively
about it.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
You mentioned there that he is the conductor and someone
that I think I like to think that the most
precious thing that you can give someone his time because
you never get it back. But particularly with Neil knowing
that his time was so finite, how fiercely he put
all of his into trying to generate change that he
knew wouldn't help him but would potentially help others.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
He was impossible to say no to.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
But still the people that he managed to get in
that awkward to orchestra that he conducted. Is it's unparalleled
him because in terms of getting different networks and different
people to agree to put a big slide at the
MCG that I'm sure that when he first came to
the concept with you, you didn't think the slide would
be that big. That he had in mind talked to
(10:18):
us about the first time that he mentioned it to you,
and how you ended up being the first slider.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
Well, I went over to interview him when he wanted
to serve people. Knew that he had MND, but he
hadn't publicly talked about it, and just through our connection,
I flid a perth and interview him, and he was
still coming to grips with what he'd been diagnosed with,
(10:44):
and he knew that he wanted to do something about it,
and he had some ideas, like some rough ideas about
how he might go about it. And I just I
knew that he needed he needed help like with that,
like he couldn't execute it on his own. He needed
to sort of gather an army of people to help
him in influential places that could make things happen. And
(11:07):
so when I got back to Melbourne that day, I
went and saw Lewis Martin, who was our boss at
Channel seven. And Lewis didn't know Neil, he didn't know
of him particularly well, and I sort of explained what
he was. I said, look, you know, this guy's authentic,
like he's real, he's a genuine person. He's been afflicted
with this terrible thing, modern your own disease, and we
(11:30):
should try and help him. Like, if we can help
him in some way, that'd be a great thing. If
we can coordinate the media, because he's got an idea.
I don't know how he's going to execute it. He
needs people who can do all that technical stuff and
bring it all together. And that really got the ball rolling.
So but it wasn't me. I mean, I just took
the idea to somebody who I knew that could help.
And then Lewis really he really took up the reins
(11:53):
and threw Neil and other people and then connected to
nine the foot show. And that's sort of really how
it all started.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
When he was like, you have to be the first
one though down that slot and you thought, oh, okay,
all right, no, that's fine, is it? I know we
can't say no to the man, But was it was
it an automatic yes or you there being like, could
maybe someone else.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Go fair and you wouldn't have known what you're in for,
because at least now when you get asked, you know
what you're in.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It wasn't the big dress ups in the beginning.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I couldn't. I couldn't say no to nobody I can.
I can tell you that nobody hates cold water more
than I do. Like I just I would have, honestly
if they had introduced cold shower, you know, the cold
ice bas after the game, I was retired on the
spot back in my I hate it that much. I can't.
I keep hearing that it's really healthy for you to
(12:43):
have a cold, you know, like put the cold water,
and I still can't bring myself to do it. I
still have a half Luke Warman pretends that it's a
lot colder than what it is. But we didn't know,
like we really didn't know. And no, yeah, I find
no one thought that it was going to be what
it's become like as as we all know, that's grown
into something amazing. And as you said before about you know,
the sea of blue, and that's just one of the
(13:05):
most beautiful things to look out and see. And I
said the other day. It's just a shame because logistically
it's just too hard to have the slide at halftime.
But it really it would be great if it could
be in that halftime part of the game, and even
if they extend it to half time by some way.
But it's just really hard to execute that many people
down the slides in that period of time. But for
(13:25):
it to be the full audience of people watching that
game on that day and to look out there and
see because everybody now turns up with a blue of
blue Bernie, like everybody they just feel like, okay, well
this is what the day's about. You go to the footy,
you go to this game, you go to the MCG
and you wear Bluebernie. Is a show of support.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
I think it's the only thing that unites the teams right,
like you've got completely everyone. It's like, yes, we can
be joined, we can be joined in this, we can
be joined in this fight.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But also, if ever there was a year where I think,
out of respect, everyone could arrive to the game half
an hour early or an hour early or wherever it is.
I and again we've had the great pleasure of having
Beck on the pod and I spoke to her last
year at the Freeze and she said to me, She's like,
it's just the highlight of my year every year standing
(14:16):
up there next to Dad, and my heart aches for
what it's going to be like the first one that
I have to do without him, and knowing that that
is what is coming, and that we as a football
community but also just an Australian community, can do our
very best to wrap our arms around that family for
all that they continue to give, but also for what
they've given. There is nothing And I actually I was laughing.
(14:40):
I looked at my last message to Neil yesterday and
it was essentially me saying, it's one of the greatest
honors of my career slash life to have gone down
the slide. But if you need anything else, ever, please
let me know, because there's nothing I wouldn't do. And
in true Neil form, he responded saying, actually, we were
thinking of firing you out of a cannon and as
(15:02):
that sort of humor and that sort of person that
I think again like, we are so determined to make
this the biggest big phrase that there's ever been. Tim
you are standing there at the top as you welcome
some of the sliders out. We've already had one announcement.
We know that Andy Lee is going to be going down,
Tim do you know, do you get a sneak peek
at who the sliders are before there are? Now?
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Oh yeah, when do you find out?
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Sometimes there's been so much going on that I actually
haven't caught up with exactly who is going down and slide.
I was sort of hoping, and this is difficult. Logistically,
it's difficult, but I just thought it would be magnificent
if we were able to sort of get everybody that's
ever been a slider that has gone down to sort
of form some sort of a guard of honor or something,
you know, to line up as a special tribute to
(15:46):
to Neil on the day. But I think you know
that everybody sort of spread out over the country, they're
spread out over the world, Like there's been a lot
of different people from different walks of life that participated.
So that's that's going to be really difficult. But like
that SEMs to him, that touch something is really it's
really important because I didn't always see him as that
funny guy like he was of all the Dannaher's, like
(16:06):
I know them all, even the sisters of sisters are
so funny.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You should he's one of eleven. Yes, to be funny
when you're one of eleven.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
That's so that's so many, there's so many people, the girls.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Of the hilarious like we had we had this night,
we had this Danna Her night, like a tribute night
and Football Club did at the time, and I was
I am seated and like, I haven't really i'd known
them all because I've seen them from time to time
and I never remember their names at all.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Too.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
We had them beginning and they're on the rundown and
I thought, oh God, I don't know what we're going
to get here, you know, And they just absolutely stole
the show that I'm taking the piss out of the boys,
and it was just they were all really really funny
like and it's just a great as you can imagine
you get all those siblings together and room together, and
you can only imagine what it would have been like
(16:58):
growing up in that home.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
One of my if and only share what you want
to hear t him, but one of my favorite poems
is a poem called Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas,
and it's so it's it's the main line of that
is rage, rage against the dying of the light, and
that oh god, how.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I'm got a motion the game.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Yeah yeah, okay, that that's exactly what Neil did. And
I wanted to know when when his body was failing him,
his mind was still so sharp, so so so sharp.
What did this disease not take?
Speaker 5 (17:43):
It didn't take his spirit, That's that's what it didn't take.
And what you've summarized there is actually the cruelty. There's
a lot of things that are cruel about MND, but
that like, while it's taking everything else, it's almost like
it's adding to the mind and the sharpness of the mind.
(18:04):
And his mind was so acute, like his sense of everything,
his articulation, like his writing, his humor, like like everything
was heightened as a result of that. And it's like
it is just like it's just such a it's just
(18:24):
such a cruel, cruel way. And you can only imagine,
like in your darkest moments of retrospection to be thinking,
like we all have those moments where you like, it's
tough and we're trying to solve the problem and we're
lying awake at night time, and that type of thing.
But you're like, we're still able bodied, You're like to
(18:47):
dig to go through that, like Neel died and then
not be able to move and not be able to
do anything and not like it just adds to sort
of like the strength of this man, Like I just
really I mean or I am totally aw of what
he was able to do completely, as.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Are we and as we always will be. And the
one thing that we know that he wanted us to
do was to play on and kill this bustard of
a disease. So we're going to mobilize everyone obviously does
the beanies again. Tim, you know, we may have lost
our leader, but you're the corporal.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
If you say we all need to be there, we
will be there. We are you. We're getting on planes,
Eric Banner. I'm sure he's busy. He will work it out.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Who else is around the world, we can we can
pull them all back in Kylie. If Kylie wants to
come back, she can go down. Come on, there's a
Hemsworth that lives here. Matt Damon like, I come on,
come on, come on.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
But but you said Tim that you know you hate
cold water, and you're the only probably the biggest hater
of it. I would just raise you twenty and give
you Abby Jelmy because when she went down as Maleficent,
she was she was like, there is like, actually end
the polar ice caps because this is too much.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Although the one thing that I will say, and Tim's
been outspoke about this, is that I essentially did enact
the wetsuit message.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I didn't have one on, but I went all body.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Leather and got out of there quicker than anyone has
ever scrambled. So I think I think I managed bech
Madam may have given me a word in enoughter. She
went down his kneel and said, mate, the more of
your body you can cover you better. And I saw
Michelle Paine, who was dressed as wonder Woman, and she said,
I've gone no pants, I'm stuck here and she's only
slide as well. It was freezing, but it is truly
one of the great experiences. And again we know that
(20:28):
so many people make it to the match. Get their early,
be a part of it all.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Yes, that's a great message.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Yes, get there early.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Remember someone who was great, not only And the thing is,
and you're so right to touch on this, Tim, he
was a giant of the game, but he's dwarfed that
with what he did post Australian of the Year, and
it's the one and only Australian of the Year where
I feel like everyone went, oh well, obviously obvious, Like
you know, there was no there was no one challenging that.
(20:58):
But I think for all the times that Neil, whether
his voice was with him or not, was able to
be so loud, we need to be louder because we
cannot let the precious time that he gave this and
that his family gave this ever go to waste. And
I do so deeply believe in and I've been so
lucky to speak to the researchers and to speak to
Beck about what they've been able to enact. It's the
(21:20):
leading fundraiser in the world for M and D. And
when you talk about one in three hundred people getting diagnosed,
you look out over the MCG and it's more than
a few rows of people that are going to be
afflicted with this thing. That is just horrendous. And we
will do absolutely everything in our power to spread the message,
(21:40):
be loud, raise more money, and what a day it
will be that we can celebrate and again our thoughts
are with everyone that knew and love Neil. Is there
any come on call to action, corporal, you tell us
what you need from us.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
I just want to one final thing I want to
say about this. And I certain when I was talking
about him, and I was with Al one day and
Neil was filming something off to the side and I
was just talking to the professor about M and D
and he was just saying, he said, oh, that blog's
a gift. And I said, what do you mean, he's
a gift? And he said, well, a lot of people
(22:14):
we've never had a face. We've never been able to
put a real face to M and D because people
have just died too quickly and we haven't been able
to mobilize anything. But Neil came along and he's got
this really slow form of mm D, but he's become
the face of it and through that we're being able
to tell people about MND. But we've also been able
(22:35):
to raise funds for M and D. And like, he's
just been a gift. And they you could not have
got anyone, you know, all honestly, you could not have
got anyone better than Neil Danaher to have been the
face of this insidious disease, and we all just need
to make sure that we maintain the rage against it,
(22:57):
and we do all everything we possibly can with the
voices that were God and the connections that we've got
to make sure that we keep pushing on like he would.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Have wanted us to, beautifully said, beautifully said, are you
worried about? Are you worried about? Worried about the day?
Tim He's going to be big?
Speaker 7 (23:15):
I just mean, I mean from I mean from an
emotional perspective, obviously, because for you personally, because here we've
only had the pleasure of meeting him a few times,
you'll even more so than mean.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
But you know it'll be a big day.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Yeah, well, I feel what as long as we don't
play that stuff that he said about he's grub sound
coop rob Yeah yeah, that got me. You know, when
you got grand children yourself, or children yourself, I mean,
those things as a parent, they really get you because
you understand sort of exactly what it is that he's saying,
and you look at them all and you'd like to
think that you're going to be able to be alongside
(23:49):
and fear the rest of their lives. But you know,
that's not going to happen. And you just know that
all the things that you do along the way, and
the way you treat people and the way you treat
them and all the lessons they learn in the family
are going to be the things that they need to
be able to drag them through life in some way
where they can actually face challenges. So it was just
a beautiful, great passage that he delivered. It.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Yeah, well, he's chosen a very good squadron with you
leading and of course his lovely family.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yes him, I say it behind your back, so I
mamy As, we'll say it to your face. You're one
of the most lovely people that you could hope to
meet in media, and it can I do. I do
how generous you've always been with me and just the
way that you've handled yourself over such a long career
in media. There's not a single person who has a
bad word to say about you, because they possibly couldn't.
So thank you again for taking the time. We know
(24:33):
that you're particularly busy. You do your radio, You've got
all sorts of things going on. We really appreciate it
and hopefully see you soon because we will be there
donning the Beanies on the Monday.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
YEP, it's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Thank you, Thanks Jim
You have one with something new, careful? What would it be?
I want to tell you a story. I like telling
his stories. I'm my new grandfather. I mean my mans
don't Cooper. I can't protect Cooper, Babs. I love him,
(00:27):
my wish for him it is for him. Do understand
a few thinks? Love good, but life don't promise to
be fair. I'd like to tell Cooper, look, mate, will
be a good time, but they'll be hard time. They will
(00:50):
be mandaint on. Life can be tough. And my wisk
from Cooper is they didnt can conduct himself in the
place of hearts. Love is difficult. Love is tough. Which
for who like I? Which we you people? And you'll
(01:15):
wish the people you'll gain. Conduct yourself in the right
man number. Things get tough because in love and not ip,
it will be tough. It just went an how often
and when that happens for him? I don't want him
(01:35):
the fall. I don't want him to be another life victim.
So what is the right way? What is the right
way take to conduct yourself in difficult tom The right
way it's somehow comming the carriage, the moral courage to
(02:03):
attack responsibility and sometimes you'll say well, I want my pop.
I was the victim. It's not my over the one ability,
it's not one else Na. No matter what happens, it's
(02:24):
up to you to do something about it. Have the
courage they accept with supponsibility. Don't show away from it,
don't bold, don't progression that, don't amboll it. The's on
my lolth am I doing that. What will emerge in
(02:46):
tidier is the better side of your character. They will
allow you to provail. I'll allow you to move through it.
And might have been laid trained then. And that's why
I have but kid for learns. I'm finding backing responsibility
(03:10):
means looking for the opportunity. When love gets difficult, you
think it's the time right, there's no opportunity. There's always opportunity.
I've diagnosed whether those days that will kill me and
(03:31):
no treatment, no cure, nohpe somesday, where's the opportunity? I
tell you, if you're in the blame game, if you're
in why it's for me, bar bagg of me? You
never find it. You're looking at the blame someone. There's
(03:55):
always opportunity. My opportunity was the vite MND and don't
allow me the Bavar. It don't allow me the vine
purpose to then what's happening to me? I wait, Gooba
(04:18):
learns what the right way is. I can't protect him,
He's got to tag on that with buntability him though
you're added to and then he's telcome down then too
your way. That's something not only to wish for, but
(04:43):
that's why too. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
The late great Neil Denaher addressing the Melbourne Football Club
in twenty nineteen. How lucky we are and how lucky
Cooper will always be that such a brilliant and beautiful
man imparted his wisdom and ethos with us. Put simply,
the world is an infinitely better place for having had
Neil in it, who passed away on Monday after a
thirteen year fight with the beast that is modern neuron disease.
(05:15):
The thing about Neil, though, was he didn't just fight.
He built and commanded an army in a way that
we had never seen anyone do so, an army who
donned blue beanies and plunged into the ice and took action,
knowing the leader would one day lose his life to
the enemy. George, there's a lot of negativity in our
sporting world if you want to look for it. There's sacking,
(05:36):
there's infighting, there's boys club allegations and even social media vitriol.
But when you look out over the MCG on that
Monday match, no matter who the teams support, and you
see that sea of blue, you can't help but be
reminded of about the good in people and the good
that can be done with this incredible community when we
stand together. We were scheduled to have Begdana her join
(05:58):
us today, but understand the fight M and d CEO
has taken some time to remember her wonderful dad.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
So we are joined. God, I almost got there.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
We are joined by the very first slider, someone who
I'm so lucky to call a friend. And when I
called and said do you mind coming on, Tim Watson,
he said, of course, because we need to, and as
Neil said in his own words, play on and we
are going to take on this beast in any way,
shape or form that we can. Tim, thank you so
so much for joining us and having a chat with
(06:28):
us on two good sports. It is sad that these
are the circumstances that we have to welcome you onto
the pod for the first time, but condolences in losing
such a great mate.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So much love.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
Thank you, baby. Look, I'm really happy to talk to
you at a really sad time. But at the same time,
he was such an inspiration to so many people. I'm
more than happy to talk about him.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
He was a man that Jeremy rightly said there, Tim,
you know, he didn't just fight.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
He scrapped.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
He fought tooth and nail. He would scratch for a week.
He would kick you, I'm sure if he could do.
You know, he was the ultimate competitor. Be it as
a player, certainly, be it as a coach the reverend,
but you knew him as a friend as well as
all of that.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Who was neil to you?
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Well, it was all those things, you know, like he
just he wasn't warm and fuzzy. He was honest and
he was direct and even like the last time, we
sort of have these gatherings which he organized. So these
rolled old people from his earliest days at Essenen and
(07:39):
he would organize everything, including the rundown. It was a luncheon,
but there was a rundown associated with it. And then
I was given strict instructions verbally and then nonverbally off
the screen later when he couldn't converse. And then if
he thought something was going too long or somebody was
uninteresting and not funny enough lunch and had taken a
(08:01):
turn that he wasn't particularly happy about, he would just
give me this look and a grunt, And then I
knew that we had to move. We had to move,
we had to move on. He liked to be the
conductor of any orchestra that he was involved in and
anybody that crossed his But he was a force of nature,
a real force of nature.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
And but.
Speaker 5 (08:22):
Like I know, we're probably all reflecting on what he
meant to us and why we were so influenced by him.
And got to the point where I thought, you know,
some much bullshit in this world now, and there's so
much pr and there's so much spin. And then somebody
comes along like he does, and we know they're authentic.
(08:43):
He tells us that he's dying, he's never going to
be saved by any of what he's doing on Earth
while he's still alive with this, and everyone just thought, well, okay,
I want to be on his team. And the team
started sort of like in this small circle around him
and it just grew and grew and grew and right
across the nation. People don't know that Neil Donna. A
(09:04):
lot of people probably don't know that deal. Neil Dannah
had played DFL football, as Stroke may not. Probably didn't
know that he coached. But they know him, they know
of him, and they know how he went about what
he tried to do and what he did. He didn't
just try to do and he did it like he
just sort of shoone this massive light. When men do
what it is and move, people moved. Politicians moved, influential
(09:28):
people move money, people moved, everybody of every walk of
life in this country to try and do something actively
about it.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
You mentioned there that he is the conductor and someone
that I think I like to think that the most
precious thing that you can give someone his time because
you never get it back. But particularly with Neil knowing
that his time was so finite, how fiercely he put
all of his into trying to generate change that he
knew wouldn't help him but would potentially help others.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
He was impossible to say no to.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
But still the people that he managed to get in
that awkward to orchestra that he conducted. Is it's unparalleled
him because in terms of getting different networks and different
people to agree to put a big slide at the
MCG that I'm sure that when he first came to
the concept with you, you didn't think the slide would
be that big. That he had in mind talked to
(10:18):
us about the first time that he mentioned it to you,
and how you ended up being the first slider.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
Well, I went over to interview him when he wanted
to serve people. Knew that he had MND, but he
hadn't publicly talked about it, and just through our connection,
I flid a perth and interview him, and he was
still coming to grips with what he'd been diagnosed with,
(10:44):
and he knew that he wanted to do something about it,
and he had some ideas, like some rough ideas about
how he might go about it. And I just I
knew that he needed he needed help like with that,
like he couldn't execute it on his own. He needed
to sort of gather an army of people to help
him in influential places that could make things happen. And
(11:07):
so when I got back to Melbourne that day, I
went and saw Lewis Martin, who was our boss at
Channel seven. And Lewis didn't know Neil, he didn't know
of him particularly well, and I sort of explained what
he was. I said, look, you know, this guy's authentic,
like he's real, he's a genuine person. He's been afflicted
with this terrible thing, modern your own disease, and we
(11:30):
should try and help him. Like, if we can help
him in some way, that'd be a great thing. If
we can coordinate the media, because he's got an idea.
I don't know how he's going to execute it. He
needs people who can do all that technical stuff and
bring it all together. And that really got the ball rolling.
So but it wasn't me. I mean, I just took
the idea to somebody who I knew that could help.
And then Lewis really he really took up the reins
(11:53):
and threw Neil and other people and then connected to
nine the foot show. And that's sort of really how
it all started.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
When he was like, you have to be the first
one though down that slot and you thought, oh, okay,
all right, no, that's fine, is it? I know we
can't say no to the man, But was it was
it an automatic yes or you there being like, could
maybe someone else.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Go fair and you wouldn't have known what you're in for,
because at least now when you get asked, you know
what you're in.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It wasn't the big dress ups in the beginning.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
I couldn't. I couldn't say no to nobody I can.
I can tell you that nobody hates cold water more
than I do. Like I just I would have, honestly
if they had introduced cold shower, you know, the cold
ice bas after the game, I was retired on the
spot back in my I hate it that much. I can't.
I keep hearing that it's really healthy for you to
(12:43):
have a cold, you know, like put the cold water,
and I still can't bring myself to do it. I
still have a half Luke Warman pretends that it's a
lot colder than what it is. But we didn't know,
like we really didn't know. And no, yeah, I find
no one thought that it was going to be what
it's become like as as we all know, that's grown
into something amazing. And as you said before about you know,
the sea of blue, and that's just one of the
(13:05):
most beautiful things to look out and see. And I
said the other day. It's just a shame because logistically
it's just too hard to have the slide at halftime.
But it really it would be great if it could
be in that halftime part of the game, and even
if they extend it to half time by some way.
But it's just really hard to execute that many people
down the slides in that period of time. But for
(13:25):
it to be the full audience of people watching that
game on that day and to look out there and
see because everybody now turns up with a blue of
blue Bernie, like everybody they just feel like, okay, well
this is what the day's about. You go to the footy,
you go to this game, you go to the MCG
and you wear Bluebernie. Is a show of support.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
I think it's the only thing that unites the teams right,
like you've got completely everyone. It's like, yes, we can
be joined, we can be joined in this, we can
be joined in this fight.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But also, if ever there was a year where I think,
out of respect, everyone could arrive to the game half
an hour early or an hour early or wherever it is.
I and again we've had the great pleasure of having
Beck on the pod and I spoke to her last
year at the Freeze and she said to me, She's like,
it's just the highlight of my year every year standing
(14:16):
up there next to Dad, and my heart aches for
what it's going to be like the first one that
I have to do without him, and knowing that that
is what is coming, and that we as a football
community but also just an Australian community, can do our
very best to wrap our arms around that family for
all that they continue to give, but also for what
they've given. There is nothing And I actually I was laughing.
(14:40):
I looked at my last message to Neil yesterday and
it was essentially me saying, it's one of the greatest
honors of my career slash life to have gone down
the slide. But if you need anything else, ever, please
let me know, because there's nothing I wouldn't do. And
in true Neil form, he responded saying, actually, we were
thinking of firing you out of a cannon and as
(15:02):
that sort of humor and that sort of person that
I think again like, we are so determined to make
this the biggest big phrase that there's ever been. Tim
you are standing there at the top as you welcome
some of the sliders out. We've already had one announcement.
We know that Andy Lee is going to be going down,
Tim do you know, do you get a sneak peek
at who the sliders are before there are? Now?
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Oh yeah, when do you find out?
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Sometimes there's been so much going on that I actually
haven't caught up with exactly who is going down and slide.
I was sort of hoping, and this is difficult. Logistically,
it's difficult, but I just thought it would be magnificent
if we were able to sort of get everybody that's
ever been a slider that has gone down to sort
of form some sort of a guard of honor or something,
you know, to line up as a special tribute to
(15:46):
to Neil on the day. But I think you know
that everybody sort of spread out over the country, they're
spread out over the world, Like there's been a lot
of different people from different walks of life that participated.
So that's that's going to be really difficult. But like
that SEMs to him, that touch something is really it's
really important because I didn't always see him as that
funny guy like he was of all the Dannaher's, like
(16:06):
I know them all, even the sisters of sisters are
so funny.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You should he's one of eleven. Yes, to be funny
when you're one of eleven.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
That's so that's so many, there's so many people, the girls.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Of the hilarious like we had we had this night,
we had this Danna Her night, like a tribute night
and Football Club did at the time, and I was
I am seated and like, I haven't really i'd known
them all because I've seen them from time to time
and I never remember their names at all.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Too.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
We had them beginning and they're on the rundown and
I thought, oh God, I don't know what we're going
to get here, you know, And they just absolutely stole
the show that I'm taking the piss out of the boys,
and it was just they were all really really funny
like and it's just a great as you can imagine
you get all those siblings together and room together, and
you can only imagine what it would have been like
(16:58):
growing up in that home.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
One of my if and only share what you want
to hear t him, but one of my favorite poems
is a poem called Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas,
and it's so it's it's the main line of that
is rage, rage against the dying of the light, and
that oh god, how.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I'm got a motion the game.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Yeah yeah, okay, that that's exactly what Neil did. And
I wanted to know when when his body was failing him,
his mind was still so sharp, so so so sharp.
What did this disease not take?
Speaker 5 (17:43):
It didn't take his spirit, That's that's what it didn't take.
And what you've summarized there is actually the cruelty. There's
a lot of things that are cruel about MND, but
that like, while it's taking everything else, it's almost like
it's adding to the mind and the sharpness of the mind.
(18:04):
And his mind was so acute, like his sense of everything,
his articulation, like his writing, his humor, like like everything
was heightened as a result of that. And it's like
it is just like it's just such a it's just
(18:24):
such a cruel, cruel way. And you can only imagine,
like in your darkest moments of retrospection to be thinking,
like we all have those moments where you like, it's
tough and we're trying to solve the problem and we're
lying awake at night time, and that type of thing.
But you're like, we're still able bodied, You're like to
(18:47):
dig to go through that, like Neel died and then
not be able to move and not be able to
do anything and not like it just adds to sort
of like the strength of this man, Like I just
really I mean or I am totally aw of what
he was able to do completely, as.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Are we and as we always will be. And the
one thing that we know that he wanted us to
do was to play on and kill this bustard of
a disease. So we're going to mobilize everyone obviously does
the beanies again. Tim, you know, we may have lost
our leader, but you're the corporal.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
If you say we all need to be there, we
will be there. We are you. We're getting on planes,
Eric Banner. I'm sure he's busy. He will work it out.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Who else is around the world, we can we can
pull them all back in Kylie. If Kylie wants to
come back, she can go down. Come on, there's a
Hemsworth that lives here. Matt Damon like, I come on,
come on, come on.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
But but you said Tim that you know you hate
cold water, and you're the only probably the biggest hater
of it. I would just raise you twenty and give
you Abby Jelmy because when she went down as Maleficent,
she was she was like, there is like, actually end
the polar ice caps because this is too much.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Although the one thing that I will say, and Tim's
been outspoke about this, is that I essentially did enact
the wetsuit message.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I didn't have one on, but I went all body.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Leather and got out of there quicker than anyone has
ever scrambled. So I think I think I managed bech
Madam may have given me a word in enoughter. She
went down his kneel and said, mate, the more of
your body you can cover you better. And I saw
Michelle Paine, who was dressed as wonder Woman, and she said,
I've gone no pants, I'm stuck here and she's only
slide as well. It was freezing, but it is truly
one of the great experiences. And again we know that
(20:28):
so many people make it to the match. Get their early,
be a part of it all.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Yes, that's a great message.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Yes, get there early.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Remember someone who was great, not only And the thing is,
and you're so right to touch on this, Tim, he
was a giant of the game, but he's dwarfed that
with what he did post Australian of the Year, and
it's the one and only Australian of the Year where
I feel like everyone went, oh well, obviously obvious, Like
you know, there was no there was no one challenging that.
(20:58):
But I think for all the times that Neil, whether
his voice was with him or not, was able to
be so loud, we need to be louder because we
cannot let the precious time that he gave this and
that his family gave this ever go to waste. And
I do so deeply believe in and I've been so
lucky to speak to the researchers and to speak to
Beck about what they've been able to enact. It's the
(21:20):
leading fundraiser in the world for M and D. And
when you talk about one in three hundred people getting diagnosed,
you look out over the MCG and it's more than
a few rows of people that are going to be
afflicted with this thing. That is just horrendous. And we
will do absolutely everything in our power to spread the message,
(21:40):
be loud, raise more money, and what a day it
will be that we can celebrate and again our thoughts
are with everyone that knew and love Neil. Is there
any come on call to action, corporal, you tell us
what you need from us.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
I just want to one final thing I want to
say about this. And I certain when I was talking
about him, and I was with Al one day and
Neil was filming something off to the side and I
was just talking to the professor about M and D
and he was just saying, he said, oh, that blog's
a gift. And I said, what do you mean, he's
a gift? And he said, well, a lot of people
(22:14):
we've never had a face. We've never been able to
put a real face to M and D because people
have just died too quickly and we haven't been able
to mobilize anything. But Neil came along and he's got
this really slow form of mm D, but he's become
the face of it and through that we're being able
to tell people about MND. But we've also been able
(22:35):
to raise funds for M and D. And like, he's
just been a gift. And they you could not have
got anyone, you know, all honestly, you could not have
got anyone better than Neil Danaher to have been the
face of this insidious disease, and we all just need
to make sure that we maintain the rage against it,
(22:57):
and we do all everything we possibly can with the
voices that were God and the connections that we've got
to make sure that we keep pushing on like he would.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Have wanted us to, beautifully said, beautifully said, are you
worried about? Are you worried about? Worried about the day?
Tim He's going to be big?
Speaker 7 (23:15):
I just mean, I mean from I mean from an
emotional perspective, obviously, because for you personally, because here we've
only had the pleasure of meeting him a few times,
you'll even more so than mean.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
But you know it'll be a big day.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
Yeah, well, I feel what as long as we don't
play that stuff that he said about he's grub sound
coop rob Yeah yeah, that got me. You know, when
you got grand children yourself, or children yourself, I mean,
those things as a parent, they really get you because
you understand sort of exactly what it is that he's saying,
and you look at them all and you'd like to
think that you're going to be able to be alongside
(23:49):
and fear the rest of their lives. But you know,
that's not going to happen. And you just know that
all the things that you do along the way, and
the way you treat people and the way you treat
them and all the lessons they learn in the family
are going to be the things that they need to
be able to drag them through life in some way
where they can actually face challenges. So it was just
a beautiful, great passage that he delivered. It.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Yeah, well, he's chosen a very good squadron with you
leading and of course his lovely family.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yes him, I say it behind your back, so I
mamy As, we'll say it to your face. You're one
of the most lovely people that you could hope to
meet in media, and it can I do. I do
how generous you've always been with me and just the
way that you've handled yourself over such a long career
in media. There's not a single person who has a
bad word to say about you, because they possibly couldn't.
So thank you again for taking the time. We know
(24:33):
that you're particularly busy. You do your radio, You've got
all sorts of things going on. We really appreciate it
and hopefully see you soon because we will be there
donning the Beanies on the Monday.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
YEP, it's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
Thank you, Thanks Jim
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