Essendon great Simon Madden has honoured former premiership teammate Merv Neagle, remembering him as simply ‘a really good bloke’.
Merv was a talented, tough and uncompromising wingman who gave his all for his teammates and supporters alike. He played 147 games for Essendon between 1977 and 1985 and 56 games for Sydney between 1986 and 1990. He tragically passed away in August 2012, leaving behind wife Donna and his six children.
In support of the Neagle family, the upcoming ‘Merv Neagle Tribute Event’ will be hosted by Essendon legend Tim Watson and will feature many of Merv’s beloved Essendon and Sydney teammates.
Madden encouraged all Essendon supporters to join the celebration of Merv’s life on Thursday 22 August at the Grand Hyatt.
“The tribute night at the Grand Hyatt will be fantastic. There will be a few surprises and I think it will be very entertaining,” Madden said.
“Tim (Watson) and Terry Daniher have done a lot of the planning and there’ll be a whole mixture of entertainment and memories.
“I think Terry summed it up best when he described Merv as simply ‘a really good bloke’.
“He loved a good time with his teammates. Loved a beer, loved a joke and just had an infectious smile.
Madden remembered his former teammate as a player with hunger and determination.
“He loved playing hard football... He would come down the grain like a big freight train and he had an enormous long raking kick. He was a real competitor on the field,” Madden said.
“He’d play out on the wing, in the centre, on the ball and he’d keep getting it. The way he played in the 1984 premiership and to come second in the Brownlow, it just showed how other people were seeing his football.”
Essendon teammates including Paul Van der Haar, Terry Daniher, Paul Salmon, Mark Harvey, Mark Thompson, Simon Madden and his former Sydney teammates Tony Morwood, Gerard Healy, Anthony Daniher, Paul Kelly and Barry Mitchell will all be present at the Tribute Event. Many of Merv’s adversaries including Dermott Brereton, Robert DiPierdomenico and Doug Hawkins will also be in attendance.
Date: Thursday 22 August, 2013
Venue: Grand Hyatt on Collins Street, Melbourne.
Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm start
Price: Premium ticket $325 (includes; the opportunity to be hosted with a famous football identity prior in premium seating and an exclusive memorabilia piece.)
Standard ticket $195
Click here for more information on the Merv Neagle Tribute Dinner.
