Neale Daniher named 2025 Victorian Australian of the Year for ...

AFL great Neale Daniher has been named the 2025 Victorian Australian of the Year.

The former Australian Rules footballer and FightMND charity co-founder was named at a ceremony in Melbourne last night.

He has been recognised for his work raising funds and awareness of motor neurone disease.

Daniher was diagnosed with the illness in 2013.

Since then, he has raised millions of dollars through his charity to assist fellow MND sufferers and for research to find a cure.

The 63-year-old continues to campaign despite being in the advanced stages of the degenerative disease.

Neale Daniher's award was announced by the Premier Jacinta Allan. (Supplied: NADC/Salty Dingo)

The announcement was met with a standing ovation by those attending the awards night, while Daniher looked to his wife and raised his eyebrows with a smile.

"While it is not the reason we do what we do, I am humbled and honoured to be named as Victoria's Australian of the Year," Daniher said in a brief statement on social media.

Jan Daniher joined him onstage and said Neale was overwhelmed when he was nominated.

She congratulated the other nominees, who included youth support charity founder Madeleine Buchner, soprano, composer and arts pioneer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon and activist against sexual extortion and suicide Wayne Holdsworth.

"It's just been amazing listening to all the stories so for Neale to be included in this is incredibly special for our family," she said.

Jan Daniher says her husband will continue to fight to find a cure for MND. (X:@JacintaAllanMP)

Ms Daniher said there were no clinical trial to treat or cure MND when her husband was diagnosed in 2013, and she said he would continue his work to raise funds and awareness for a long as he could.

"The reason we keep going is because, in the years ahead when we hear that someone has been diagnosed with MND, we want them to have hope, we want there to be some treatments, we want there a cure."

In a congratulatory post on social media, Premier Jacinta Allan described Daniher as a "Champion footballer. Champion fighter. Champion".

He will represent Victoria at the national awards ceremony in Canberra next year.

Neale Daniher's family joined him at the ceremony. (Supplied: NADC/Salty Dingo)

Aishwarya Kansakar, Neale Daniher, Jasmine Hirst and Peter Brukner after the announcements. (Supplied: NADC/Salty Dingo)

Sports medicine leader and health campaigner, Peter Brukner was named the 2025 Victorian Senior Australian of the Year.

AI and automation entrepreneur, Aishwarya Kansakar, was named the Young Australian of the Year for Victoria and women's football advocate, Jasmine Hirst, is the 2025 Local Hero for Victoria.