Retired Joe Daniher (2020-2024)

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dlanod

dlanod

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Daniher chose to exercise his free agency rights with a lifestyle change a key factor in the decision.

The Lions lodged the paperwork with the AFL to secure the 200cm, 95kg left footer on the opening day of the AFL free agency period.

The 26-year-old joins the club on a three-year deal.

He is considered to be among the top key forwards in the game having booted 191 goals from 108 games for the Bombers since making his debut in 2013.

His best season came in 2017 when he kicked 65 goals to earn All Australian selection and claim the Bombers’ best and fairest.

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2020 Trade: Daniher is a Lion

The Brisbane Lions’ have added some serious firepower with gun forward Joe Daniher to join the Club as a free agent
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I thought about posting his highlight videos like we try to with draftees, but I don't like the thought of all those Essendon guernseys cluttered up the place.
 

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2020 Trade: Daniher is a Lion

The Brisbane Lions’ have added some serious firepower with gun forward Joe Daniher to join the Club as a free agent

Daniher chose to exercise his free agency rights with a lifestyle change a key factor in the decision.

The Lions lodged the paperwork with the AFL to secure the 200cm, 95kg left footer on the opening day of the AFL free agency period.

The 26-year-old joins the club on a three-year deal.

He is considered to be among the top key forwards in the game having booted 191 goals from 108 games for the Bombers since making his debut in 2013.

His best season came in 2017 when he kicked 65 goals to earn All Australian selection and claim the Bombers’ best and fairest.

General Manager of Football David Noble said it was a major coup for the Lions to add such a respected player to their list.

“Joe is exactly the type of player we were looking to add to our list,’’ he said.

“He is a quality person and highly respected player who will compliment our forward line.

“He also fits perfectly within the age bracket we are looking for, at 26-years-of-age he brings experience to our playing group and we also believe his best years are ahead of him.

“And we would like to take this opportunity to thank Essendon and his management team at TLA for their professionalism regarding the process of Joe’s move to our club.”

Daniher said he was excited about the next chapter of his AFL career and was looking forward to getting to know the Lions playing group.

“The chance to play for Essendon is something I dreamt about and aspired to growing up,’’ he said.

“I’ve made lifelong friendships there and it has helped shape me as a person. I’m forever grateful to them and look forward to seeing them progress under Truck.

“The move to Brisbane is a new challenge I’m really looking forward to. I can’t wait to relocate to Queensland, get to work with my new teammates and coaches and build relationships across the club”.
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Former Bomber Joe Daniher opens up on his move to the Brisbane Lions

Brisbane recruit Joe Daniher says he feels a “sense of relief” after finally landing at the Lions more than a year after he tried to leave Essendon for Sydney.

But the former All-Australian forward isn’t feeling the pressure of delivering the Lions their first AFL flag since 2003 despite the being regarded as the final piece in the club’s premiership jigsaw.

A Lion for at least the next three seasons after securing a move from the Bombers, Daniher said there was plenty of hard work ahead of him and the resurgent club to take the next step by winning a premiership.

The Lions have finished second on the ladder for two years in succession, and this year went a step further in the playoffs by reaching the preliminary final.

“From my experience in football, anything that’s happened the year before doesn’t guarantee anything that goes on into the future,” Daniher said.

“Brisbane have a great win-loss record in recent times, but that doesn’t guarantee you anything.

“You need to knuckle down and continue to stick to a process and vision. I feel the Brisbane Lions are going to do that and I’m really excited to be a part of that. Hopefully I can play a role in helping the guys on field and supporting the coaches and what they’re trying to achieve.”

There is no doubting Daniher’s talent.

The 26-year-old, 200cm forward was an All-Australian in 2017 and was Essendon’s leading goalkicker for four successive years.

But injuries have ruined Daniher’s past three seasons. In that time he has played just 15 games.

“It has been challenging from an off-field perspective,” he said.

“As a footballer all you want to do is go out and play, and have a lot of fun and enjoyment playing.

“I’ve been starved of that in the last few years, so I’m really excited and can’t wait to get out there, and pull on a jumper, and just enjoy playing football.

“My psychology around playing the game hasn’t changed. It’s about being really clear about where I want to get to, working as hard as I can and going out and performing.

“That’s not going to change here.”

Daniher said he left Essendon, the club he has supported all his life and where his family name is etched in stone, on good terms but needed a “fresh start”.

“I’ve had a fantastic relationship with the Essendon Football Club not just in my playing days, but a supporter growing up,” he said.

“They’ve been incredibly supportive of me for a very period of time.

“They understood why I needed a fresh start, needed a change, so I can’t thank them enough for the time I spent there, and for that continued support.

“I feel a sense of relief. I’m very pleased and proud to be at the Brisbane Lions.”
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Time to get to work: The players at every AFL club who need a big 2021 pre-season
Joe Daniher - Maybe he doesn’t need a ‘big’ pre-season... he just needs ANY pre-season. The good news for Brisbane is they got Daniher as a free agent, rather than having to cough up any first-round picks, which lessens the risk they’ve taken on the 2017 All-Australian forward. But having played just 15 games in the three seasons since earning that honour, Daniher and the Lions are both hoping their renowned training staff can get him back on the track and preparing for season 2021. For years now the prevailing view has been Eric Hipwood is not quite good enough to be the number one forward on a premiership side - but he’s good enough to be the number two, or even the 1b to Daniher’s 1a. Having two tall targets would mean Brisbane can rely less on its smalls and midfielders to kick a winning score. And as we saw in 2020, their inaccuracy can be costly - Hugh McCluggage kicked 8.21 this year, Dayne Zorko 9.15 and Jarryd Lyons 4.10. Daniher isn’t exactly known for his accuracy but he bagged 65.39 in his All-Australian season.
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Guernsey Numbers Revealed
Joe Daniher - 3

Boom recruit Joe Daniher has inherited the most famous guernsey number in Brisbane Lions’ history.

Daniher will make his debut in the number 3, previously worn by triple premiership captain Michael Voss.

Voss wore the number for 283 games across a stellar career that also included the 1996 Brownlow medal.

Gary Pert and his father Brian both wore the number for Fitzroy.

The former Bomber inherited the number from the retired Allen Christensen who wore it in 68 games for the Lions.
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I genuinely don't understand the argument of Essendon supporters in social media comments. The most vocal ones are still salty as **** about him leaving but at the same time they're 110% confident he'll only play a few games in a season before sitting out with injury.

I don't get it - do they want to keep a perpetually injured player on their list just so nobody else can have them? It makes literally zero sense to me.
 
Back2Back2Back said:
I genuinely don't understand the argument of Essendon supporters in social media comments. The most vocal ones are still salty as fu** about him leaving but at the same time they're 110% confident he'll only play a few games in a season before sitting out with injury.

I don't get it - do they want to keep a perpetually injured player on their list just so nobody else can have them? It makes literally zero sense to me.
Click to expand...
Sour grapes. Bitterness. Like having trouble moving on after a breakup.
 
How your club’s recruits fare in pre-season
All eyes were on key forward Joe Daniher, with the tall not failing to deliver on the big stage in the first official practice match of the year. The former Bomber slotted four goals for the game, including two in the first quarter, dominating against an understrength Suns backline. It seems like a simple equation; the former All-Australian will be a fantastic addition if fit. But ‘if fit’ has been bold, italicised and up in lights next to Daniher’s name for a couple of years now.
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Inside story: How Brisbane Lions secured Joe Daniher from Essendon and Sydney’s clutches

There was a lot of downtime in last year’s Gold Coast hub as AFL players tried their best to keep themselves distracted from the grind of the COVID-impacted season.

For Essendon’s Joe Daniher it wasn’t Netflix that took the focus in his hotel room, he was busy entertaining suitors on his laptop.

Being a restricted free agent and a player in demand during the bizarre 2020 season meant the normal wooing process had a very different look.

There were no clandestine meetings in club boardrooms after hours or at player agent’s houses, it was all done electronically via Zoom.

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan never recruits a player without meeting them in person and getting a feel for their character and values.

This time he had to make an exception to his rule.

Despite Daniher being just 90 minutes up the road from his Gabba office, circumstances meant the only way he could get face-to-face was on a computer screen.

That’s how the Lions “met” Daniher and remarkably they never actually crossed paths in person until a few months later when he’d declared his intention to become a Brisbane player.

It was a scenario 12 months earlier that no-one entertained.

Daniher appeared destined for Sydney, he’d been caught catching up with the Swans hierarchy during the year and had officially asked for a trade to the Harbour City.

But Sydney and Essendon could not agree on a deal, with the Bombers ultimately not playing ball despite the All-Australian forward pleading for a fresh start.

Watching with interest from afar was Lions list manager Dom Ambrogio who then raised Daniher’s name at a list-management meeting which included CEO Greg Swann.

“We had a discussion as a group,” Swann explained.

“The reasons that he wanted to go, such as getting out of Melbourne and going somewhere which is a bit off Broadway, that obviously worked for us also so we decided we should put our stake in the ground.”

Ambrogio made the call to Daniher‘s manager, Nigel Carmody from TLA, and expressed the club’s interest.

He wasn’t the only one who had been on the phone.

Geelong was in the market for a key forward and had the move-to-the-country sell down pat.

BOMBERS RETURN

There was a lot of water to go under the bridge for Daniher so he dusted himself off, put on a fake smile and returned to The Hangar to once again start another pre-season hoping for a miracle.

His body had let him down horribly over the previous two seasons.

After winning the best fairest in 2017, he’d played just 11 games across 2018 and 2019 because of a groin problem that simply would not go away.

He made some changes, escaping Melbourne for the rural setting of Daylesford and shedding a few kilos over the summer.

There was renewed optimism among his Essendon teammates that Daniher was getting his mojo back … and then COVID hit.

Everyone’s world was thrown upside down and suddenly Daniher found himself living out of a suitcase in Queensland.

He understood that getting back on the park was going to help his chances of getting a better contract should he decide to move on and finally the moons aligned and Daniher played in Round 14 against Hawthorn.

And it was a triumphant return with the Dons inspired by their full-forward’s three-goal performance, winning their first game in six weeks.

Daniher played three of the next four games to finish the season and end his 108-game career at Essendon — although at this stage he was the only one who knew that.

There had been a shift in the market of his suitors.

Sydney had lost favouritism with the Lance Franklin situation throwing them a curveball.

Buddy had not played a game all season and with Daniher’s injury history, having two high-priced key forwards with question marks around them on the list was making Swans officials nervous.

Geelong was also drifting given it had zeroed in on Greater Western Sydney star Jeremy Cameron, who had given the Cats a wink and a nudge that he was liking the idea of a move to Kardinia Park.

That left the Lions who’d already ramped up the charm offensive.

Daniher getting to spend a winter in the warmer climate of Queensland had clearly played into their hands as had the club’s renowned record with injured players.

INJURY CURE

Hawthorn premiership hero Grant Birchall had played just eight games in three years before heading to Brisbane in 2020. At the age of 32, he then played 16 games.

Lincoln McCarthy was a talented forward at Geelong who played 29 games in seven injury-interrupted seasons. Since his move north, he’s played 41 games in two seasons.

Both of them got on the phone to Daniher, regaling the magic of the Brisbane air which had miraculously saved both of their careers.

The Lions had another ace in the pack with its head of medical, Peter Blanch, having worked at Essendon and he was there when Daniher had his breakout 2017 season where he won the best and fairest, kicked 65 goals and was named in the forward pocket of the All-Australian team.

They ticked a lot of boxes but Daniher was still battling with breaking the strong family ties to Essendon, so he went off the grid.

Together with teammate James Stewart and their partners, they headed on a road trip around Queensland which took them inland to Birdsville, then up to Mt Isa and across to Harvey Bay.

It was the perfect way to clear the head although there was one minor problem, the communication in the outback wasn‘t the best.

While Brisbane had a finals campaign to focus on, they were starting to get toey about whether they’d landed the big fish.

Carmody tried to keep them in the loop as best he could but found himself spending plenty of time on Google maps working out where Daniher was camping out and trying to organise times when he was in a place where his mobile phone would work.

Eventually everything aligned on the communication front and Daniher finally gave the green light on October 7 — five days after the Lions had stunned reigning premier Richmond in the second qualifying final — for Carmody to inform Essendon that he wanted to play for Brisbane in 2021.

Three weeks later it was official.

The Bombers didn’t match Brisbane’s three-year contract offer for Daniher and received a first-round pick (it was No.7 but then moved to No.10 on draft night) as compensation.

So relieved and excited that the deal was done, Daniher, who is known for unconventional thinking, decided to set up digs in his new state immediately.

Instead of heading back to Victoria to pack up his house and organise his belongings, he got his brother to do that for him.

He never actually set foot back in his old state again until Brisbane’s game in Geelong three weeks ago.
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Retired Joe Daniher (2020-2024)

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