Neale Daniher

Neale Daniher
Personal information
Date of birth	15 February 1961 (1961-02-15) (age 50)
Place of birth	West Wyalong, New South Wales
Original team	Ungarie / Assumption College
Height/Weight	188 cm / 84 kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1979-1981, 1985 & 1989-1990	Essendon	82 (32)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1998 – 2007	Melbourne	223 (108–114–1)
1 Playing statistics to end of 1990 season . 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2007.
Career highlights
AFL VFL Recruit of the Year 1979 Victorian representative (2 games) New South Wales representative (1 game) Essendon Football Club Essendon Best and Fairest 1981 Essendon Captain 1982

Neale Francis Daniher (born 15 February 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Neale was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon and Fremantle Football Clubs and the Coach of the Victorian State Team and the Melbourne Football Club. Neale's brothers, Terry, Anthony and Chris, also played for Essendon in the AFL. Neale is the current General Manager (Football Operations) of the West Coast Eagles.

Early life and childhood

Neale was born the third child of James "Jim" Daniher and Edna Daniher (née Erwin) on 15 February 1961 at West Wyalong Base Hospital. Neale went to St Joseph's Catholic School for his primary education before going to St Patrick's Catholic College in Goulburn and later Assumption College in Kilmore, Victoria, a small town 60 km north of Melbourne, where he would finish his school education. He would then go to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, where he learned about the emerging technology of the 1980s, such as computers.

It was during his childhood that Neale showed his love for sport, namely Australian rules football, playing in the Northern Riverina Football League (NRFL) on Saturdays while playing rugby league at school carnivals. It was during his time in the NRFL that Neale won several premierships and best & fairest awards before going to college, where he would play Australian rules football and rugby union. It was in 1978 that both the South Melbourne and Essendon Football Clubs approached Neale for his signature. After a following legal battle between the two clubs, Essendon won the right to recruit Neale, as South Melbourne had signed a contract that said Essendon had this right due to South Melbourne trading Terry to Essendon in exchange for Neville Fields.

VFL/AFL playing career

From 1979-1990 Neale played for Essendon in the VFL/AFL, playing only 82 games due to several injuries. He managed to make history alongside his brothers when they became the first quartet of brothers to play for the same team in a State of Origin match and in a home-and-away game. It was after the 1990 season that Neale permanently retired.

Further reading

• Daniher, Terry Daniher, Neale Daniher, Anthony Daniher and Chris Daniher. The Danihers: The Story of Football's Favourite Family. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2009. ISBN 1741756510

External links

• Melbourne Demons profile

Persondata
Name	Daniher, Neale
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 February 1961
Place of birth	West Wyalong, NSW, Australia
Date of death
Place of death