NEAGLE, Merv

Merv Neagle came to Essendon's Under 19s from Dimboola as a centreman although he later also starred on the wing.

After some inauspicious games leading up to 1980, he became one of the League's most exciting players and a real match winner on his day.

He was aggressive, had dash and creativity, had a distinctive loping run and long raking drop punt kicks. He was prone however to giving away unnecessary free kicks.

Neagle played on the wing in the 1984 premiership team but had to drop out of the 1985 premiership side at the last minute with a leg injury. He had earlier been Essendon's best player in the 1983 finals series. He was also in the centre in the 1981 night premiership team and on the wing in the 1984 night premiership side.

He was runner-up in Essendon's Best and Fairest award in 1980 and equal runner-up in 1981. He also finished runner-up in the Brownlow Medal in 1980, with 20 votes and was fourth in the Brownlow in 1981 with 15 votes. As well, he was Essendon third top vote scorer in the Medal in 1983.

Neagle was selected in the State side in 1980, 1981 and 1985. He was also named in the centre in The Sun All Star team in both 1981 and 1983 and in the Inside Football Team of the Year in 1981. He won Essendon's Most Improved Player award in 1980.

He was granted a clearance to the Sydney Swans in 1986.

After retiring from Sydney, he coached a number of football clubs, including Merbein, Sale, Mount Barker, Balranald, North Albury and Mangoplah-Cookardinia in NSW. He coached St Mary's to the Northern Territory Football League premiership to the premiership in 2009.

His son, Jay, played 28 games for Essendon. Three of his four other sons (Jaxon, Jydon and Nathan) were all members of the James Hird Academy but did not succeed in playing senior football. Jydon was the most successful. He played Under 18 football with the Murray Bushrangers and represented NSW in the NAB AFL Under 18 championships in 2013. He was on Essendon's VFL list in 2016 and played at least one game at this level.

Neagle was killed on 23rd August, 2012, when the trailer of the B-double truck he was driving flipped over and crushed the cabin at Tharbogang near Griffith in NSW. He was coaching Walla Walla in the Hume Valley League at the time. In 2013, Nathan was playing senior football for Walla Walla, aged only 15.