Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?
Breakfast with Gary and Tim.
I want to tell you a story. I like telling stories. I'm a new grandfather with my grandson Cooper. I can't protect Cooper forever. As much as I love him, my wish for him is for him to understand a few things. Life's good, but life doesn't promise to be fair.
Chapter 2: What lessons does Neil Danaher share with his grandson?
I'd like to tell Cooper, look mate, there'll be good times, but there'll be hard times. There'll be mundane times. Life can be tough. And my wish for Cooper is that he can conduct himself in the face of hardship. Life is difficult. Life is tough. And I wish for Cooper, like I wish for you people, and you'll wish for people you love, can conduct yourself in the right manner when things get tough.
Because in life, It's not if it would be tough, it's just when and how often.
It's too late for me.
The disease I've got will kill me. I apologise for the way I talk, but it's part of the disease. It's a beast of a disease because there's no treatment and there's no cure. It doesn't kill you quick, it kills you slowly. It kills you out by slowly paralysing you. It'll get to a stage where I can't swallow, I can't speak, and I can't breathe. In the football context, it's a tank.
Okay, lost a few games, you're not going to die. But you don't lie down. It might get me, but I'm a fighter. Live with hope. Have a strong vision where you're going. My vision, close off the world without MND. I'll get there. I might be six foot under, but we'll get there. Good morning, everyone.
Welcome. It is the 26th day of May. It's a Tuesday. On the McCafe menu, try McCafe's drinks range. We are going to pay tribute to one of Australia's greats and who's lived an extraordinary life and extraordinary 13 years. We wake up this morning for the first time without Neil Danaher. in our world, but he'll never leave us. We're dedicating the majority of our show to Nilo.
You're going to hear from Terry Danaher, David Neitz, Paul Hopgood, Cameron Schwab, Sam Edmund will be with us for the news. Adam Kingsley will join us as well. But we normally jump out of the box at six with a bit of fun and a bit of lighthearted stuff. Nilo would still like us to have a laugh, but you can join us now anytime. 04339 1116 1300 736 736 and share your memories of a great man.
Welcome to you, Tim. Morning, Gary. God, that got me. It got you, didn't it? It got me. It got me. Yeah. It is... Anyway, this is the best thing. I know how close you were to Nilo. And I was...
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Chapter 3: How does Neil's illness impact his perspective on life?
He was an important part of my life, but not to the extent that he was with you. But we've all been touched by him over the past 13 years. And today, as we did last night, and I'm sure all the shows did, it's time to just take a deep breath, remember, and pay some heed to the words that you just heard, that life's tough, doesn't give you anything, be positive. and get on with it.
So let's do that. How are you feeling? No, I was going okay. I just listened to that. And I was just ā before we came on, I was just thinking about, you know, like there's almost ā to actually encapsulate ā
what he became and what he has meant to ā I don't think it's too big a statement to say what he meant to the nation because the nation got to see this person, whether you're associated with AFL football or you weren't over time because of how many years the big freeze existed and how many times ā
MND was mentioned and he was always mentioned around that the whole nation did become, I don't know that they had people, maybe different parts of Australia didn't have the intimate understanding of him as a man. And like, he was just, he was an extraordinary human being. Like he really was like he, he was, he was so special. And I remember I was at the MCG one day doing something and, Sorry.
Please. We are all feeling this this morning. And we need to talk about it. So don't you ever apologize. for being emotional because he was a great man. We'll get to our stories. We've got plenty of stories on Neil, some of them which maybe you haven't heard over the time, but.
Just to finish that story, I was at the G and I was standing here with a professor and I was just talking to him and he said, you know, that bloke over there, cause Neil was actually having some other, the camera guy had taken him across to get some shots of him doing something. And he said, he's such a gift. This professor specialized in MND. And I said, what do you mean by that?
And he said, well, No one's ever lived long enough. He said, we've never been able to put a face to MND in this country because no one's ever lived long enough. And people get diagnosed, and he said, a lady came to me this year, in January of this year, and she had this tingling feeling in her arm, and she was dead in June. And he's had this form of MND that's been sort of like a slow ā
form of MND, which... Well, he slowed it. His will slowed it. I wouldn't say that that wasn't the case either. And he just became... the face of MND and people learned about MND. And, you know, the other thing that I think really touched people is that he was so authentic. Like he was a genuine person. Like we can all see through bullshit in our lives.
We get fed so much now, you know, people trying to spin things and do things. And he was just so direct and honest. And even, you know, when we heard him talk about, you know, like, his message to his, his grandson Cooper and about, you know, you know, life isn't fair. Like you get dealt handed cards and you've just got to do with it as best you possibly can. And that's what he did.
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Chapter 4: What role did Neil Danaher play in raising awareness for MND?
And if anyone else wants to jump on on May the 25th next year, they can. Because that is exactly what he was. No spin, no bullshit. Cameron Shrob's going to join us. Cameron was the CEO at Melbourne and he appointed Neil as coach. And he wrote a beautiful article that I read recently about, and he can share the thoughts, but He told this story about Anthony McDonald.
I've had my own experiences with his no bullshit attitude, which I think for me came right at the end of my career. So I was so thankful and grateful. Had it come at the start, I might have just broken down into a crumbling mess. He must have given Macca a bit of a straighten up at a post-season meeting. And he walked out and Cameron saw him and said, how'd you go, Macca?
And Macca said, doesn't leave much dust on the shelf, does he? Which is just the most beautiful. He left no dust on no shelf when he wanted you to get a message across at different times. He was as stern and direct and as brutally honest as any person that has ever walked the planet. And he had a cold, cold demeanor when he got there. I'm talking footy here. Let's not mistake it. No, I saw that.
He was as cold as ice, and he made brutal calls on the run. The reverend came later. The warm, cuddly reverend came later. But his first entree into the world of coaching, he was a steely-eyed assassin who would take no prisoners. It didn't matter if you'd been, as I was, the captain for seven years. He just said, listen. You want to be captain? I said, well, I enjoy it.
I need my captains to play. In other words, if you ain't playing, you ain't going to be captain. That was just straight up right between the eyes. I had a little conversation with Foggs yesterday. He's a beautiful man, Chris Foggs. He is authentic and
I can clearly understand now why Neil thought the way that he did about Chris Fagan, because he loved authenticity, because he was authentic himself. He sought people who were authentic in his life, and they were the type of people who he admired the most. You're like David Neitz. He really, really loved David Neitz. And Hoppy. And Hoppy.
I think all those players had really quite a special connection. They did. connection to him. But for him, like for him to, because Faggs, you know, like he plucked me out of nowhere down in Tassie, you know, like I'm just this young boy.
And I thought, well, all you need to know Faggs is that he admired you so much for what you've been able to do and the way that you've done it, but the way that you've conducted yourself too, because To win his admiration, it was difficult. It was a hard thing to be able to do. Damn right. I remember ā so we're just reminiscing, by the way. This is a full-on Neil Dennehy ramble.
I just think it's come to mind as we're talking that when I had retired as a footy player, I was under his watch, of which he said it was a good decision. He didn't ā He didn't try and talk me out of it. But he must have, I said, did the bigotry retirement speech to the boys and then I left because I got emotional. I didn't want to stay. And he then spoke apparently, which I subscribed.
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Chapter 5: What insights does Anita share about her relationship with Neil Danaher?
Anita, how did your relationship with him, because you have an interesting relationship when you play a coach, but you and he have become sort of friends over time as well. How did all that play out?
Yeah, well, you know, it wasn't always as straightforward as that, Tim. I do remember I'd been skipper for a few years and we played a game.
I can't remember who it was. And, you know, we had a couple of bad games in a row. And Neil said, get the leadership group, go over and have a chat and work out what's going on and come back to me. And I said, Cam Baird said, Neil, we've had a chat and it's just a bit of a pressure cooker environment at the moment, you know.
We need to just relax and just move on from this game and just chill out a little bit, you know. It's too tense. And so Neil goes, yep, yep, yep. And then he gets us into the room and just goes through the video and gives everyone the most almighty spray of all time.
And I'm not even listening to the spray. I'm going, this bastard, I've had this conversation and he's done exactly the opposite of what I said we needed to do.
So after the meeting, I took myself to the gym for a minute or two to cool down, went into Neil's office, and I said, well, mate, what the hell was that? You know, I just had this chat with you. And he goes, you know what, Nita, you stick to playing, I'll stick to playing.
And that was the end of that meeting. That is magnificent, mate. We're not going to hold you up.
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Chapter 6: What does Paul Hopgood reveal about Neil's coaching style and evolution?
We know you've got a fair bit on your plate at the moment and it is just beautiful to, when you hear those stories, you can understand and get a, and that's what we're doing this morning. We're trying to give people that didn't have the joy of knowing him or, in our case, playing under him, just an insight into his personality and I know how much you love him and how much he loved you, mate.
So it's a tough morning and our thoughts with you and look forward to catching up and having a beer. I think we're getting together on Friday, so that'll be a good thing.
Yeah, thanks, Gaz and Tim, and thanks for all your support. And I know you'll continue to support his fight against the Beast as well. So you guys have been amazing, and I know how much he loves and respects you guys as well.
100%, mate. Appreciate it. There's David Neats. And now we'll jump on to one of Anita's great mates. And this is a player whose name may not be as recognisable from a football point of view, but he's had as big an impact as anyone in recent times around the Melbourne Footy Club and his friendship and relationship. Neil was special. Paul Hopgood joins us on the line. G'day, Hop. G'day, guys.
G'day, Tim. How are you? Going okay, mate. How are you going?
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Chapter 7: How did Neil Danaher impact the lives of his players?
It's been a... I know how difficult it is for everyone, but your relationship with him, just give us how he devolved from a player that used to get on the receiving end of a couple of cooks, let's be honest, into now someone that was as close to him as anyone.
Yeah, it's been interesting. Like I think Nita would have said as well, mate, he was a hard-ass and he didn't hold back on any of us at the time. And you talk about empathy, again, that's probably one of the things he did build on along the way and he did evolve along the way probably after his coaching. But when we first... He first got hold of all of us guys.
He came in and it was his way or the highway and yeah, he was full on and in a really positive way as well. I think what people don't realise as much is he was a real educator. He actually did teach us a lot. He taught us a lot about footy when he sat us down and got us to play the right way and he had to take a side that finished bottom into a
into a prelim for next year and a grand final within three years is a pretty amazing effort when you look back at it. But he taught us a lot of lessons about life and that was probably the biggest thing. And my ability to connect to him was probably to challenge him in all ways, shapes and forms of the opposite of what he's probably thought and believed and worked through.
But his ability to grab hold of people who need a bit of harnessing and take him forward was probably... something that he prided himself on and was one of his great legacies that he's going to be leaving behind.
When did you go from being scared of him to seeing him for who he was and that was someone that cared so very deeply about not only you guys as players but also as young men?
I think it was after we finished. Look, Gary, he sacked most of us. That's the whole thing. And I think it was only the golden boy, Nita, he didn't sack. He's the one that's with it. So we all stay close to Nita to try and ride his coattails to keep on Neil's good side.
I think the thing where it changed a bit is that I think he realised that we had a pretty good bunch of guys and he got the most out of most of the people that he did coach. I think that's a sign of a good coach as well is that they're improving or developing or better than... what they were or when he first met them to achieve things is a positive thing.
But his other aspect, I suppose, was that he... I think he realised that... He was highly regarded and well looked up to and I think he's changed in regards to, although we didn't achieve a lot, to be able to support guys and look out for them. He'd be always flicking me a text saying, have you heard from so-and-so and do we need to reach out?
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Chapter 8: What are the latest developments regarding Brad Scott's coaching position?
What will be the enduring memory for you?
I just think his ability to make choices and that you own your choices and how he's ingrained that into everyone as well. With adversity and and challenges that come through that he still controlled his choices and he still owned his choices and that's what he wanted to do and that was his way of dealing with everything as well and I think he's been able to get that message through
through to, you know, the broader community as well.
You know, it's just, you know, we all have some good and bad days that goes with it and we all have some challenges that come along the way, but you have that power of choice and I think his ability to do that and to play on, you know, he's a bloke who has had as much adversity as anyone even through his footy career that was cut short and coaching, not getting the ultimate success, but, you know, bringing...
a group together and achieving something to, you know, this horrible disease that was thrown his way. He just had this amazing ability to play on, take it on, hit it head on and do it with a sense of humour. Like, he's a funny man and he traded off that as well. And I said to Jan the other day, I actually...
I miss his cackle, that cackle laugh, Tim, that he's had, that he'd laugh at his own jokes. I just would love to hear that one more time. But yeah, I just think to take on these challenges and hit them head on and face adversity, be selfless in his approach to it all and and give a lot of people a lot of life lessons. It'll be the things that I remember the most.
Well said. Beautiful, mate. I appreciate you jumping on. I know just how close you've become with him, and you've done amazing stuff as well in supporting him, and we and you and others will continue to do that. Thanks for jumping on this morning.
Yeah, and make sure you two guys look after yourselves as well. Yeah, it's been a pretty challenging time.
So thanks for that. Thanks, Hop. So Terry Danaher, David Neitz and Paul Hop could remember Neil Danaher this morning. And as people will realise, the football news cycle doesn't stop regardless of circumstance. And whilst we are all remembering the great man this morning, there is massive footy news that has just broken and Sam Edmund has wandered into the studio. Sammy, good morning.
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