Ralph: The impact of Joe Daniher’s decision on Brisbane’s premiership chances and who even replaces him?
Who would walk away from a $1 million contract at the peak of their powers when more premiership success beckons?“That’s just Joe,” said one Lions figure over the weekend when trying to explain the decision he had ahead of him.
Joe Daniher is yet to officially make a decision on his future, but those close to him believe it is very likely he has played his last game.
Daniher isn’t defined by money, isn’t defined by football and is every chance to vanish from the game to his home in Ocean Shores, never to be seen again.
Despite a contract for 2025 that will again pay him handsomely.
And yet as the 2024 AFL finals series shows, Daniher is everything to the Lions.
He kicked four goals and rescued them from oblivion against the GWS Giants; he took over in the ruck from Oscar McInerney in the preliminary final, and was so Joe in the Grand Final.
In other words, he tripped over trying to kick goals, had an air swing, missed two early shots, fluffed some lines and yet he still ended up being absolutely magnificent.
Daniher kicked the huge nerve-settler in the second quarter, had two direct goal assists to Cal Ah Chee, a dozen total score involvements and basically did as he pleased.
The Grand Final version of Daniher was the best we have ever seen – rag-dolling Brodie Grundy in the ruck to kick to Ah Chee, then selflessly squaring the ball to him at half-forward when he so often would have blazed away at goal.
He was mobbed by his teammates kicking a late snap goal, which for Daniher might be a perfect final note on a career of highs and lows.
Charlie Cameron hopes he has savoured every moment with Daniher as he awaits a decision.
“You just have to make the most of and enjoy the moments together,” Cameron said.
“It is pretty special to play alongside Joe for the last four years now. He has brought so much to our footy club, helped us out and even (in the grand final) he really helped us to get the win.
“He is a pretty special player.”
If he plays a final year, then Brisbane are the rightful $6 premiership favourites (currently ahead of Hawthorn and Sydney at $7 and Carlton at $8).
If he retires, the Lions’ key-forward options look awfully thin.
Gone is the bloke who has had eight big finals in the past three seasons, who has kicked 204 total goals in the past four seasons, and who makes that forward line tick.
The main tall becomes Eric Hipwood, who Chris Fagan admits is an agile half forward in the frame of a 203cm player, then second-year 191cm tall Logan Morris and ruck-forward Darcy Fort.
Darcy Gardiner, returning from a knee reconstruction, could play forward.
Ex-Hawk Brandon Ryan played only a single AFL game for two touches and averaged 1.6 goals and 1.4 contested marks in 16 VFL games, so being the focus of this forward line would be a huge leap.
The Lions would have $1 million of cap space, but no picks to get to the market and no time to secure a free agency forward given they are all off the market.
They would have to get mighty inventive. What are their options?
Essendon’s Jake Stringer is a goalkicker, but he’s not a tall in a side that already has mid-sizers Ah Chee, Kai Lohmann, Charlie Cameron, Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey and the returning Lincoln McCarthy.
Fort could play first ruck and Oscar McInerney could play key forward – while he kicked 14 goals in his 2018 season, Big O is very much a ruckman and not a leading forward.
Brisbane could ask the question of Richmond’s Tom Lynch, due $1.5 million next year.
But even if the Lions offered a two-year to allow them to spread out his salary, the Tigers would want a quality pick or mid-tier player for a player about to turn 32.
It would leave the Richmond forward line absolutely bereft of key targets.
And Brisbane already needs to find as many as 1000 extra draft points to secure Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall before it even considers how to draft for a Daniher replacement.
Others who could at least crash some packs include free agent Elliott Himmelberg, Levi Casboult, Matt Taberner and Sam Day.
But Himmelberg is likely heading to the Gold Coast, Taberner is exceptionally injury-prone and Day has played 18 AFL games in four years.
St Kilda free agent Tim Membrey is available and kicked 30.9 this year, but at 190cm he is another complementary part of a forward line, not the key target.
But there is no replacing Daniher. Key forwards in their prime just don’t leave their clubs without being traded or securing free agency compensation.
That is the Joe Daniher package, and while it won the Lions a flag, his likely departure leaves a gaping hole at full forward that is impossible to replace.
