Neale Daniher

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Neale Daniher (born February 15, 1961 in Ungarie, New South Wales) is an Australian rules football player and coach.

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[edit] Playing career

Originally from Ungarie, Daniher played for the Essendon Football Club in the VFL, and is one of the four Daniher brothers (the others being Terry, Chris and Anthony) to have played for Essendon. He made only 82 senior appearances (and kicked 32 goals) for the club before injuries cut his career short. His first stint in the game was from 1979-1981, before he had a knee injury and then came back in 1985, got another knee injury, and then returned in 1989-1990. Despite injuries playing havoc with his career, he captained the team in the 1982 season and won the 1981 Best and Fairest award for Essendon. His career was a case of "what might have been".

In 1997, he was named to a half-forward flank in the club's Team of the Century.

[edit] Coaching career

Daniher became an assistant coach in the 1990s, working for both Essendon and the Fremantle Dockers, before coaching the Victorian State of Origin team for two years.

[edit] Melbourne Football Club

In 1998, he was appointed as the senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club, a position he currently holds as of 2006, making him the third-longest serving coach in Demons history.

In the 2004 pre-season, with Melbourne struggling for membership and requiring the competitive balance fund for survival, Daniher made a more concerted effort to be more outspoken in the media - and became known as "The Reverend" for his 'preaching' skills. This helped the club's membership and public profile (a semi-final appearance in that year's Wizard Cup also helped).

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Tim Watson
Essendon Best and Fairest winner
1981
Succeeded by
Terry Daniher
Preceded by
Greg Hutchison
Melbourne Football Club coach
1998-
Succeeded by
Incumbent