Melbourne captain Max Gawn has delivered an emotional tribute to Neale Daniher, declaring the AFL legend’s legacy will live on forever through the fight against motor neurone disease.
A fortnight after Daniher death, he was honoured at the biggest AFL match this season outside the grand final.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Max Gawn pays tribute to Neale Daniher after Big Freeze
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
A record Big Freeze crowd, most of them wearing distinctive blues beanies, packed the MCG on Monday for the 12th edition of the fundraiser ahead of the King’s Birthday blockbuster between Collingwood and Melbourne.
Players, coaches and umpires formed a circle in the middle of the MCG before the game, as a video tribute was played for Daniher. Then the crowd broke out in applause.
The crowd of 88,019 is a record for a Big Freeze game — this year was the 12th — and the FightMND charity said 100,000 digital beanies had been sold, raising $2.5 million.
News also emerged of a Queensland couple donating an extraordinary $40m to the campaign at a pre-match function at the MCG.
They had already pledged $10m, but quadrupled it after arriving at the game on Monday, as revealed on The Agenda Setters.
Daniher, the former AFL player and coach became an inspiration, turning his devastating motor neurone disease 13 years ago into a movement against what he called The Beast.
And in a fitting response on an emotional day surrounding former Melbourne coach Daniher, the Demons beat the Magpies in a thriller, by eight points.
Speaking after the match, a visibly moved Gawn reflected on the special occasion, which included former NRL player Jai Arrow tossing the coin, just weeks after his MND diagnosis.
“It was a lot, it was a big week and then having Jai Arrow do that coin toss just was the cherry on the top. I was in tears,” Gawn said.
“The story of Neil is when all is said and done more is said than done. The mark of a man is not what he says but what he does.
“We’ve been talking as an industry all week and then it was our chance to perform. It’s everyone in the crowd and everyone at home’s chance to buy a beanie and donate money and that’s what Neil’s legacy sort of is, it’s play on.”
Gawn addressed concerns about the future of FightMND following Daniher’s passing, saying the massive turnout proved the cause would endure.
“Multiple people have asked me throughout the last few years what’s going to happen to FightMND when Neil’s gone,” he continued.
“This is what’s going to happen. You have 90,000 turn up in blue beanies, you know people donating from home and this is going to be a forever thing.
“That is Neil’s legacy and to be involved in that is so powerful and I’m so honoured to be on this ground.”
Big Freeze has become the centrepiece of the FightMND charity that Daniher co-founded.
“The last two weeks have been incredibly hard, but to see the community around the MCG, seeing it blue … it just means that we continue to do what we need to do,” Daniher’s daughter Bec said.
“Beat this beast – we’re going to do it for Dad. He loved this day.”
Bec said their family continued to be overwhelmed by the public support for the FightMND cause.
A Big Freeze beanie sat on an empty chair near the top of the slide. As his conditioned worsened, Daniher took pride of place in his chair.
“He loved it. He was always the coach, so he always loved being the boss and that’s the boss chair up there,” Bec said.
“We’re going to play on for Neale.”
— with AAP
