Footy great Neale Daniher, who has been fighting a long and public battle with the debilitating motor neurone disease (MND), can now communicate again using his own voice.
In a stunning development for the 64-year-old, he is using eye tracking or gaze interaction technology to “speak” to those around him.
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The technology allows users to look at a screen and control a computer with their eyes instead of a keyboard or mouse.
They can also write messages with their eyes which the computer will then read out loud.
Daniher had previously used the technology, including in his Australian of the Year speech in January this year.
But as Channel 7 reports, audio has been taken from Daniher’s press conferences during his days coaching the Melbourne footy club to gift him the use of his own voice.
Watch Neale using his own voice in the video player above
Daniher had a smirk on his face when he explained: “I don’t think hearing my voice makes much difference to me. But it does mean a lot to the family.
“It’s much better than the robot voice that I had. But I don’t sit around listening to myself all day.”
Daniher’s wife Jan and son Luke spoke about the development, with Jan stating: “It’s really exciting and the first time we heard it, we were just gobsmacked.”
Luke added: “I was blown away, having not heard him for a while.
“The butterflies of emotion (were) in the stomach.”
After playing 82 games with Essendon, with injuries significantly restricting his career on the field, Daniher moved into coaching in the early 1990s.
An assistant with the Bombers and Fremantle, he became head coach of the Demons in 1998, leading the club to a grand final loss to Essendon in 2000 and winning 108 of his 223 games before retiring in 2007.
Diagnosed with MND in 2013, Daniher has led an inspiring battle to raise awareness and funds to fight the incurable condition.
The annual Big Freeze during the King’s Birthday match between Melbourne and Collingwood has become a fixture on the AFL calendar.
His efforts led to a number of Queen’s Birthday Honours and he was named Australian of the Year in 2025.
Supporters who saw Daniher using his own voice on social media were thrilled for him and his family.
“My goodness how my heart sings for this wonderful man and his family. Couldn’t think of a finer Australian Of The Year,” was one comment on X.
“This is so good to see, it’s amazing what AI can do when it’s done correctly. Keep fighting the best Neale!” wrote another.
A third said: “Don’t we all love this beautiful man, how great are his family, we are so grateful to them for sharing him with us.”
Another account offered: “How awesome is this? Neale has been inspiring us from right when he was playing footy with Essendon way back, right through to when he coached Melbourne and his continuing work in helping find a (cure) for MND.”
FightMND.org.au, which has invested over $115 million in the battle against the disease, continues to strive for a cure.
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