Revealed How Max Gawn quoted Neale Daniher in inspiring half-time address

Melbourne skipper Max Gawn invoked the spirit and words of former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher to the playing group at half-time in the grand final, before the Demons went on a second half rampage to claim the premiership.

Gawn, who explained that the “famous” words of Daniher - “when all is said and done, more is said than done” - were on the walls of the Melbourne rooms, along with photographs of the club’s 2000 grand final coach, and that he had quoted Daniher to the players in his captain’s speech and again at half-time in the grand final.

Gawn said the Daniher quote was about “walking the walk″⁣ and not just using words, but taking action to back them up.

Max Gawn leads the Dees onto the field. Credit:Getty Images

Gawn said he deployed “basically that exact quote” from Daniher - a national leader in raising awareness of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) that afflicts him - in addressing his team mates, who had trailed at half-time by eight points and then destroyed the Bulldogs to ran away and win the grand final by 74 points in an extraordinary turnaround.

“We had Neale posted up on walls throughout the game, in the change rooms today,” Gawn told The Age after the Demons booted 16 goals to three after half-time in the AFL’s first Perth grand final. “Photos and a couple of quotes.

“When all is said and done, more is said than done. It’s about walking the walk. And mentioned that in my captain’s speech again, I mentioned it half-time again.″⁣

In citing Daniher, Gawn said that if the Demons did not “walk the walk″⁣ in the grand final, the players’ talk that they have changed the football club would amount to nothing.

“He [Daniher] says, ‘we can talk as much as want to to talk.’ And we’ve talked this year. We’ve talked about how we’ve changed this football club, but if we don’t walk the walk on the day, it means nothing.

“And that’s how Neale fights his battle with the beast MND, and I think a lot of people relate to Neale within this football club.″⁣

Gawn said there had been a response from the players to the Daniher quotation at half-time, which followed a second term in which the Bulldogs booted six goals to one. “There’s always a response. You’ve got to limit how much you speak about him.″⁣

Gawn said Daniher had spoken to the players at six consecutive Queen’s Birthday games against Collingwood, the match that has become the traditional MND research fundraiser.

Gawn revealed, too, that he had received a message from the family of the late Colin Sylvia, the ex-team mate at Melbourne and later Fremantle player who died in a car accident in 2018, and also cited the late Jim Stynes as a personal factor.

“It’s not just Neale, I look at my jumper every week because this has got Jim’s [Jim Stynes’] number on it. So what does Jim say? Jim says whatever it takes. So I’m going out there to play a game of football, let’s give whatever it takes.

“I get a text from Colin Sylvia’s family this week, saying Colin would be proud.″⁣

Gawn tied the spirit of Daniher to the selfless culture that he and the Demons say has been introduced since the pre-season.

“Neale’s spirit - you can talk the talk...we talk about our selfless culture, Clayton’s (Clayton Oliver) given to the team, Clayton wants to be a team player....everyone seems to park their ego, in the biggest stage of them all, to win a flag.

“Neale’s an incredible person.″⁣

Gawn said the deaths and illness to key Melbourne people had strengthened bonds to past players and now the current group, which has broken the club’s 57-year premiership drought.

“There’s been tragedy at this football club for years. You’ve got Troy Broadbridge, you’ve got Jim Stynes, you’ve got Dean Bailey, you’ve got Colin Sylvia (all deceased), you’ve got Neale Daniher who’s going through an illness, you’ve got Sean Wight (deceased). There’s illnesses, there’s deaths.″⁣

Gawn said he was “forever in debt” to Dean Bailey, the first coach he played under who died of cancer in 2013. “He drafted a tall lanky kid who probably shouldn’t have been drafted and gave me a debut as well.″⁣

Gawn credited his young ruck partner Luke Jackson for helping turn the tide in the third quarter in the ruck and said coach Simon Goodwin had been calm at half-time, as the Demons made changes to their approach.

“Western Bulldogs the way they playing - they were switching a bit more, they hadn’t been switching. We adjusted and worked on their switch a little bit more. And our mids weren’t working hard enough at all.

“Goody was cool, calm head, was super. Then we chucked ‘Jacko’ in the ruck the majority of the third quarter, he seemed like he had a bit of spring compared to Stef Martin. Me and Stef are sort of workhorses, where Jacko’s got a bit of spring, that sort of changed it a little bit.”

Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.

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