AFL LIVE: MCG pays tribute to Neale Daniher during Big Freeze; Magpies and Demons face off

11.32am

Sea of blue beanies gather at the G’

By Bridget McArthur

To borrow the words of Russell Robertson, who played under Daniher and MC’ed this morning’s Demons fan event, “it’s one of the great sights in Australian football” - a sea of blue beanies streaming towards the MCG for the annual King’s Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood.

After a gloomy first week of winter in Melbourne, the sun is out and the sky matches the headwear for the first Big Freeze since AFL great Neale Daniher died after a 13-year battle with motor neurone disease last month.

The twelfth edition of the fundraiser is hoped to be the biggest yet. Speaking to the thousands gathered at the Demons fan event at Federation Square before the game, the message from the Daniher family was clear - though Neale is gone, the fight is only just beginning. Play on.

The audience is diverse in its connections to Neale and the game - from die hard fans like Josie and Mike Fitzsimons who travel from Wangaratta every year to attend, to former team mate of Daniher’s, Simon Eishard, who is there with his daughter. But whether lifelong supporters or friends, all describe him the same way - a national treasure (with a great sense of humour).

The game and cause is particularly close to the heart of Creswick GP Dr Josh Saunders, who will today become the first-ever Big Freeze Community Slider.

Also heading down the slide for the first time will be former Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones, who also played under Daniher and got the call up from the big man himself in his final months.

Joining him in the two tonne ice bath, which Bec Daniher promised would be “frighteningly cold”, will be attorney general Sam Mostyn, comedian Andy Lee, singer Amy Shark, footy podcaster Daniel Gorringe and All-Australian Dale Thomas, to name a few.

And while the battle of one man with the beast has reached an end, another has begun - Jai Arrow, who will toss the coin, recently went public with his own diagnosis which forced his retirement from rugby league football.