Star Essendon forward Joe Daniher has expressed his pride in the club’s playing group after the team donated $5000 to FightMND on Wednesday.

The donation is a part of the AFL Players’ Care Program and Joe’s uncle, club legend Neale Daniher, was on hand to receive the cheque at The Hangar.

“The AFL Players Care program is a fantastic concept and fortunately enough the Essendon group in the last three years have chosen to put the money towards MND and a fantastic cause at that,” Joe said on Wednesday.

“I’m really proud of the playing group and the way they approach these sort of things and to have it go to something that’s quite special to my heart is really humbling and I’m very thankful for that.”

Daniher was full of praise for his uncle, who has been instrumental in the fight to find a cure for MND after being diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 2013.

“He’s going through a tough battle and he’s taking it head-on, but at the end of the day I see Neale as my uncle and he’s been the same sort of person right throughout my own life, so there’s no real surprises to me,” he said.

“I think the really exciting thing is the support and the following that it’s getting, especially the AFL community – how much time and effort and real care that they’re putting into it, which is fantastic.”

Neale spoke to the players and staff and urged them to encourage coach John Worsfold to embrace his creative side as he prepares to dress up and slide into a frigid pool of ice at the fourth Big Freeze game at the MCG on Monday.

“Most of my speech was about revving the players up around that concept,” Neale said.

“John…looks like an introvert, but deep down there’s a raging extrovert there somewhere.

“I need the players to come up with something outrageous for him and they’re working on it.”

All 18 AFL coaches are set to fly down the slide at the game and Neale said each had been tight-lipped about their costume ideas.

“I can’t get a thing out of them. It’s all going to be a big reveal on the day,” he said.

“So I think it will be quite funny, quite comical and they’re taking it in the right spirit and having a bit of fun.”

He said he was looking forward to leading the occasion once again to continue to raise awareness and funds for the great cause.

“We’ll have plenty of people there to support us, it should be a great day in all areas from a FightMND point of view, but also from a game point of view.

“Having the AFL community right behind us, it will be a special day.”