‘Shame and disgrace’: AFL boss steals Big Freeze show

The 2021 AFL Big Freeze has done a lot of good yet again but it has also exorcised one of the AFL’s greatest ever missteps.

Now in its seventh year, the annual event has so far helped raise $50 million for former Bombers skipper and Demons coach Neale Daniher’s FightMND charity, as he himself battles motor neurone disease.

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The annual event sees celebrities and AFL personalities taking the plunge into an ice bath at the bottom of a slide with everyone dressing up for the slide.

Featuring Hawks legend Shane Crawford dressed as the Queen in honour of her birthday, AFLW presenter Daisy Pearce as Bluey, Fox Sports’ Sarah Jones as Mary Poppins, umpire “Razor” Ray Chamberlain as Elton John, Sharni Layton as Vanilla Ice, Billy Brownless in VB budgie smugglers and a Neale Daniher Assumption College jersey, and Jeff Farmer in Indigenous flag budgie smugglers and a wizard beard and wand, there were some interesting characters.

Sarah Jones as Mary Poppins.Source:News Corp Australia

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy was also supposed to slide but was unable to be there. He passed on a message instead — dressed as Elsa before he had ice water dumped on him.

Craig Bellamy dressed as Elsa being dunked with ice on the Sunny Coast wasn't on my Queen's Birthday bingo card ?

Good onya Bellyache for getting around this brilliant cause ??? #BigFreeze7

? DONATE generously: https://t.co/ESxW7pttXApic.twitter.com/0yeHSySJiM

But AFL CEO Gillon McLaughlan had to be the pick of the sliders.

Dressed as Meat Loaf, McLachlan paid tribute to one of the worst Grand Final entertainment concerts of all-time.

It was the 2011 AFL Grand Final that saw the Bat out of Hell star savaged mercilessly over the next decade for his pre-match warbling.

However he hit back, branding the AFL as cheap and blaming his poor performance on a haemorrhaging vocal cord.

McLachlan with Daniher.Source:Getty Images

McLachlan at the bottom.Source:News Corp Australia

McLachlan became CEO in 2014 after Andrew Demetriou, having previously been his deputy.

But while it happened under Demetriou’s watch, McLachlan felt he needed to put it behind himself and the AFL.

“He brought great shame and disgrace to the whole game of Australian rules football,” McLachlan said.

“It’s a decade this year — in fact he brought shame to the MCG, the committee got rolled, he brought shame on America. He claimed he needed 100 Harleys and he only got three — that was the reason he went badly. He said we underpaid him, he got half a million dollars — which is $499,000 too much.

“And I’ve lived with it even thought everyone knew it was Andrew Demetriou’s decision and I have lived with it every day for a decade, it is time to exorcise the demons. And get him off everyone’s agenda.”

When he got down the slide, his brother and Seven presenter Hamish was there for another interview.

“It’s been a millstone around the AFL’s neck for a decade,” Gillon said. “Silver linings, if you were doing a speech and every line was going bad, you’d say ‘Meat Loaf’ and get out of there but it’s good to get it off my back I hope.

“He was so bad it’s become infamous. It’s hard to beat that. He’s the celebrated miss of the decade.”

Shane Crawford with the Queen.Source:Getty Images

Razor Ray as Elton John.Source:News Corp Australia

Daisy Pearce as Bluey.Source:Getty Images

Not much protecting Jeff Farmer.Source:Getty Images

McLachlan also paid tribute to Daniher for raising all the money and said Daniher “embodies everything that is great about our game and Australians”.

It comes as Daniher was recognised on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list as he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his “distinguished service to people with motor neurone disease”.

“While I am incredibly honoured to have this award, we don’t need any more awards, we just need to find a cure,” Daniher told News Corp on Monday.

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