When Brian Taylor donned a lime green body suit to raise awareness and funds for the fight against motor neurone disease, the former player turned AFL commentator never dreamed what it would become a decade later.
Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Big Freeze, the 1986 Coleman medallist and broadcaster has reflected on his role in voicing the journey of other Australian celebrities down the slide and into the MCG’s icy pit.
“I love doing it, the money that’s been raised has been bloody incredible and it’s great to be involved in something this inspiring,” he told The Sunday Times.
Taylor concedes he never imagined the event — and its iconic merchandise — would become the national phenomenon it is today.
“I don’t think any of us did, it was very basic, the first one,” he said.
“When we went down the very first year it wasn’t so much about dressing up as someone, it was just about putting some sort of stupid uniform on that was perhaps colourful at best, without any rhyme or reason as to why we are doing it.”
There have been back-flips, belly-flops, some outrageous costumes and some of the country’s most-loved personalities, but it was a unique exit by a senior coach that stands out for “BT”.
“The funny one that stands out is the Chris Fagan one,” Taylor said. “He went down and as he was exiting the pool — in a very quick manner because of the coolness of it — he pulled his hamstring and then went on to do the post-slide interview almost ignoring the fact that he pulled his hamstring off the bone.”
He denied ever being star-struck, even by Hollywood star Eric Bana, a host of Australian cricketers and even Grand Slam hero Pat Rafter, who is set to take the plunge on Monday.
“I wouldn’t say I get star-struck but I’ve been able to call every one of these guys coming down the slide over the last 10 years and that’s been an amazing privilege,” Taylor said.
“I’m always amazed at the support that this garnishes. It’s just incredible, and everyone’s doing it for two reasons – number one, they’re doing it for Neale and number two they’re doing it for MND.
“Neale’s just a guy that you can’t not love – even before the MND, this guy was a star player, he was a star coach, he was admired doing both of those things by everybody in the league, not just his own teammates and his own team but by everybody.
“And that sort of set it up. When someone like that then falls ill with something like MND, you can’t not support someone like that because he’s such a good person and has such a great family.
Taylor will star in a special edition look-back at some of the Big Freeze’s greatest moments on Monday, hours after a new batch of stars hit the slide before Collingwood plays Melbourne at the MCG.
10 Years of The Big Freeze, 9.10pm Monday on Channel 7 and 7plus.