Second Warne stand to tie spin great with Daniher

The Victorian Government will waste no time in opening the SK Warne Stand at the MCG, and his name will be associated with another Australian sporting hero Neale Daniher.

Warne will have two stands named in his honour in his hometown, with the Kevin Murray Stand at Junction Oval to be renamed. It means he will forever have a connection with the game in Melbourne at international, state and club levels.

Once the building under the stand is refurbished it will house the new head office for the FightMND charity co-founded by Daniher in 2014 to raise money and awareness of motor neurone disease. The legacies of two of the city’s most treasured sporting identities will be under the one roof.

The striking of a Shane Warne Medal for Australian cricket’s male Test Player of the Year award is one idea that is likely to be discussed when Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria and other senior figures meet to discuss how the sport will honour one of the finest players the game has seen.

The Victorian Government want to have the Great Southern Stand formally renamed as quickly as possible, raising hope it could be done in time to mark the start of the AFL men’s season on Wednesday week. Warne’s beloved St Kilda play their first game at the MCG in round four on April 10.

CV were already in advanced planning to rename the Kevin Murray Stand in honour of the leg-spin great, whose death on Friday shocked the cricket world and left his legion of fans around the globe in mourning.

The state association had hoped approval from Parks Victoria would come in time for Warne to cut the rope in person this season but the Shane Warne Stand will now have to be unveiled posthumously.

Warne had given his blessing for the name change, as had Fitzroy football great Murray, who wants to keep the plaque with his name. The Lions played games at the venue from 1970-1984. Erected in 1925-26 and called the G P Newman Stand, it had become derelict but was renovated and reopened for use for the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in 2020.

The renaming will fortify Warne’s connection to the ground where he played grade cricket for St Kilda before breaking through to state and international ranks. The ground is also the home of Victorian cricket’s elite CitiPower Centre training base, and stages games for the state’s senior men’s and women’s teams.

Already much loved among Melbourne fans in particular, Daniher has not only become a revered figure among rival supporters but transcended the game for his inspirational and selfless work. The Demons’ football department was based under the Murray Stand for much of his reign as coach.

FightMND’s annual Big Freeze game on Queen’s Birthday between Melbourne and Collingwood has become one of the marquee events on the AFL fixture.

Focused on the repatriation of Warne’s body from Thailand, cricket officials have not had time yet to discuss how it can make a long-term tribute to the generational player. The process is likely to start after CA and Australian Cricketers Association chiefs Nick Hockley and Todd Greenberg return home from the first Test in Rawalpindi.

The highest individual award in Australian men’s cricket recognises former captain Allan Border but the awards for the Test and one-day international player of the year are not named after any player.

A Shane Warne Medal for either of the two gongs would be appropriate given his contribution to both forms of the game.

As well as being Australia’s leading wicket-taker, and by a considerable margin, Warne also excelled in the 50-over game, culminating in player of the match performances in the fabled World Cup semi-final of 1999 and the final.

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