Amid the fanfare of Sydney coach John Longmire winning the AFL Coaches Association Award as Coach of the Year, at an awards ceremony on Tuesday night, was another significant recognition that passed by with little attention.

West Coast Eagles football administrator and long-time coach Neale Daniher was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Daniher was not at the function so the award was received by Chris Fagan who was part of Daniher’s support network in a decade as Melbourne senior coach, but who is now Hawthorn’s football manager.

Fagan was appointed as reserves coach when Daniher arrived as senior coach at the Demons in 1998, became a line coach and then moved into administrative roles with the club.

Daniher had been an assistant coach at both Essendon and Fremantle before embarking on a 10-year reign as senior coach at Melbourne and immediately elevated the club into the top four.

During his time at the Dees, they played in six finals campaign, the highlight coming in 2000 when they made the grand final, losing to the club where the Daniher legend was forged, Essendon.

Only one other time since the golden years of Norm Smith in the 50s had Melbourne played in a grand final and that was under John Northey in 1988, the Demons being out-pointed by Hawthorn in that instance.

In Daniher’s last year at Melbourne, when he stepped aside mid-year 2007, the Dees finished 14th and have not made finals since.

The following year Daniher joined the West Coast Eagles as General Manager Football Operations, stepped down from that role 12 months ago and plans to return to Melbourne (city) later this year.   

While it is an award presented by the AFL Coaches Association on behalf of its 180 members, it was presented for his life-time contribution to the game – as a player, coach and administrator.

“It’s nice to be recognised, but awards are not the reason we do what we do,” Daniher said.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t be there for the night, but I am proud to have been recognised in this way.

“I have been fortunate to be involved in our great game for so long, you meet so many great people along the way and many of them have had a positive influence on me.”

Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award include George Stone (Sydney), Geoff Walsh (North Melbourne, Collingwood), Russell Ebert (Port Adelaide), Dr Bruce Reid (Essendon), John Todd (South Fremantle, Swan Districts, West Coast Eagles), Haydn Bunton Jun (Swan Districts, Subiaco).

A point of interest in the AFL Coach of the Year voting is that the association’s members vote on a 3-2-1 basis and Longmire won by a solitary vote (143 to 142) from his grand final rival Alastair Clarkson. Port Adelaide mentor Ken Hinkley was third.