Joe Daniher

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Joe Daniher

| nickname = Big Joe, Muscles

| image = Joe Daniher 2017.2.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Daniher playing for Essendon in June 2017

| fullname = Joe Daniher

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1994|03|04|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Calder Cannons (TAC Cup)

| draftpick = No. 10 (F/S), 2012 national draft

| debutdate = Round 11, 2013

| debutteam = {{AFL Ess}}

| debutopponent = {{AFL Car}}

| debutstadium = the MCG

| height = 201 cm

| weight = 97 kg

| position = Key forward

| years1 = 2013–2020

| club1 = {{AFL Ess}}

| games_goals1 = 108 (191)

| years2 = 2021–2024

| club2 = {{AFL BL}}

| games_goals2 = 96 (204)

| games_goalstotal = 204 (395)

| statsend =

| careerhighlights = * AFL Premiership player: 2024

All-Australian team: 2017
Crichton Medal: 2017
4× Essendon leading goalkicker: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
2× Brisbane Lions leading goalkicker: 2023, 2024
Mark of the Year: 2017
Anzac Medal: 2017
22under22 team: 2016
AFL Rising Star nominee: 2014

}}

Joe Daniher (born 4 March 1994) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Brisbane Lions.

Daniher won a Crichton Medal and All-Australian selection in 2017, as well as the 2017 AFL Mark of the Year and Anzac Medal for that season. He is a four-time Essendon leading goalkicker and a two-time Brisbane Lions leading goalkicker. Daniher was a premiership player with Brisbane in 2024.

Early life and football career

Daniher is the son of a former AFL full-back, Anthony Daniher, who played 115 games for the Sydney Swans and 118 games for {{AFL Ess}}.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/pick-me-joe-daniher-set-to-shine-in-red-and-black/story-fnau1fjg-1226509397439|title=Pick Me: Joe Daniher set to shine in red and black|date=3 November 2012|first=Sam|last=Landsberger|work=Herald Sun|publisher=Herald Sun}} His uncles, Anthony's brothers Terry, Neale and Chris, also played for Essendon. He played junior football for Aberfeldie in the Essendon District Football League and attended St Bernard’s College.{{Cite web |title=Joe Daniher (born 1994) - Draftguru |url=https://www.draftguru.com.au/players/joe_daniher/1 |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=www.draftguru.com.au}}

Daniher played for the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup. He was named an All-Australian in the AFL Under-18 Championships, playing for Vic Metro. Daniher was part of the AFL Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport, participating in its European tour to Italy, England and France in 2012 competing against the combined European Legion team.[https://www.afl.com.au/news/56482/danihers-diary Daniher's Diary] By Joe Daniher 9 April 2012

AFL career

=Essendon (2013–2020)=

Daniher was drafted by {{AFL Ess}} under the father–son rule, with the tenth overall selection in the 2012 national draft. He was also eligible to be drafted by {{AFL Syd}}, but chose to join the Bombers, where his brother Darcy Daniher was a team member at the time.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/bombers-outgun-swans-in-bid-to-sign-daniher-20101230-19b4m.html|title=Bombers outgun Swans in bid to sign Daniher|date=31 December 2010|first=Emma|last=Quayle|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media}} He made his debut against {{AFL Car}} in Round 11, 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/daniher-to-make-longawaited-senior-debut-20130606-2ns2o.html|title=Daniher to make long-awaited senior debut|last1=Quayle|first1=Emma|last2=Murnane|first2=Matt|date=6 June 2013|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Media}} In his second game (Round 12 against {{AFL GC}}), he was named among the best players, kicking his first AFL goal and scoring a total of three goals in the match.{{cite news|title=Daniher part of Bombers' future: Hird|first=Jesse|last=Hogan|date=16 June 2013|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/daniher-part-of-bombers-future-hird-20130616-2obot.html#ixzz2WKyzh3sL|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Media}}

He showed positive progression in his second season, leading the club in goal-kicking with 28 for the season, including four goals against North Melbourne in an elimination final at the MCG.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/north-melbourne-defeats-essendon-by-12-points-in-elimination-final-at-the-mcg/news-story/a4aee79346b28ad101ad98eb0c6b3422|title=North Melbourne defeats Essendon by 12 points in the elimination final at the MCG|date=6 September 2014|first=Warwick|last=Green|work=Herald Sun|publisher=Herald Sun}} Despite his skinny frame and inaccurate kicking for goal, he showed immense promise and started to stake his claim as one of the best young key forwards in the league.

Daniher entered the 2015 AFL season as the club's spearhead up forward, a challenging task considering it was only his third season of senior football. Despite kicking only 34 goals for the season, Daniher showed improvement in many key areas of his game, especially accuracy in shooting for goal. That was partly due to the fact that former player and Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd helped him throughout the year. He led the club's goalkicking for a second consecutive season and showed more presence on the field.

In 2016, he continued to grow as a footballer and leader, being named in the club's leadership group and finishing the season with a career-high in marks (141) and goals (43). He won the club goalkicking award for a third consecutive year and was joint runner-up with James Kelly in the W.S. Crichton Medal.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/essendon/zach-merrett-wins-crichton-medal-as-essendons-best-and-fairest-player/news-story/dc5bdd8b7b9ebaf88930b1f575744d3a|title=Zach Merrett wins Crichton Medal as Essendon's best and fairest player|date=1 September 2016|first=Lauren|last=Wood|work=Herald Sun|publisher=Herald Sun}}

He started the 2017 AFL season strongly, reaching his potential as one of the best forwards in the league, and winning both the Anzac Day Medal and the inaugural Tom Wills Medal in the Country Game against {{AFL GEE}}. He finished as the club's leading goalkicker for a fourth straight season, received his debut All-Australian Team selection, and won his first W. S. Crichton Medal.

Daniher started the 2018 AFL season in substantially worse form than in the previous year, averaging less than a goal a game and having an reduced impact on the competition. After Round 7, scans revealed the early onset of osteitis pubis, causing him to miss the rest of the season.

After a strong pre-season, Daniher looked set for a big 2019 season, but a mysterious calf injury, sustained in training, meant he missed the first four rounds of the 2019 AFL season. Despite not being named for Round 5, Daniher was given a late call-up for the Bombers in the Round 5 game against the Kangaroos on Good Friday. Because Daniher was not named on Essendon's initial list for the round, the Bombers incurred a fine, but Daniher proved his worth by kicking two goals, including one from over 55 metres out. After four matches, he was ruled out for the remainder of 2019 due to a groin injury. Toward the conclusion of the season, he requested a trade to Sydney but, because Sydney could not satisfy Essendon's trade request, Daniher remained at Essendon for the 2020 season. After the 2020 season, exercising his rights as a free agent, he moved to the {{AFL BL}}.{{cite web|title=Bombers' massive win as Daniher becomes a Lion|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/523266/bombers-massive-win-as-daniher-becomes-a-lion|last1=Twomey|first1=Callum|date=30 October 2020|access-date=31 October 2020|work=AFL Media}}

=Brisbane Lions (2021–2024)=

Daniher made his debut for the Brisbane Lions against {{AFL Syd}} at the Gabba in Round 1, 2021. He kicked two goals, but he attracted criticism from former {{AFL PA}} player Kane Cornes for his jumper-grabbing celebration after kicking the first of those goals, which gave Lions an 18-point lead in a match they would ultimately lose by 31 points.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/id-be-filthy-Kane-cornes-blasts-Brisbane-lions-recruit-joe-daniher/news-story/c513ae066f24cac34a7cc531360e4173 |title='I'd be filthy': Kane Cornes blasts Brisbane Lions recruit Joe Daniher |work=Herald Sun |first=Nick |last=Savage |date=21 March 2021 |access-date=22 March 2021}}

Daniher became the only player to kick at least one goal every game for the 2021 season, but he fell away during the Lions' finals campaign and kicked only one goal from two games.

In Brisbane's 2022 elimination final against {{AFL Ric}}, Daniher kicked the winning goal in the dying stages of the match to give the Lions a two-point win, 106–104. Brisbane were eventually knocked out of the finals by {{AFL Gee}} in the preliminary final, losing by 71 points.

In 2023, Daniher led Brisbane with 61 goals. At the end of the season, he played in his first AFL Grand Final. Daniher kicked 3 goals and was one of Brisbane's best players on the day, but the Lions fell to {{AFL Col}} by four points.

Daniher again led the Lions in goals in 2024, kicking 58 over 27 games. In Brisbane's semi-final against the Greater Western Sydney Giants, Daniher kicked four goals, including the final two goals which completed a 44-point comeback. Daniher added a pair of goals in the Grand Final as the Lions defeated the Sydney Swans. {{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1231476/lion-kings-chris-fagans-heroes-thrash-sydney-swans-in-grand-final-shock|date=28 September 2024|website=AFL|title=Lion Kings: Fagan's heroes thrash Swans in GF shock}} Just five days after winning the premiership, on 3 October 2024, Daniher announced his retirement.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1236222|title=End of the Joe Show: Much-loved Lion calls time|website=afl.com.au|publisher=Australian Football League|date=3 October 2024|access-date=3 October 2024}}

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.{{cite web|url=http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/J/Joe_Daniher.html|title=Joe Daniher|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=4 April 2018}}

| 2013 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 5 || 3 || 9 || 36 || 25 || 61 || 27 || 3 || 3 || 0.6 || 1.8 || 7.2 || 5.0 || 12.2 || 5.4 || 0.6 || 0.6 || 0

| 2014 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 21 || 28 || 20 || 159 || 78 || 237 || 112 || 28 || 53 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 7.6 || 3.7 || 11.3 || 5.3 || 1.3 || 2.5 || 1

| 2015 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 22 || 34 || 24 || 147 || 81 || 228 || 111 || 35 || 43 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 6.7 || 3.7 || 10.4 || 5.0 || 1.6 || 2.0 || 5

| 2016 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 22 || 43 || 32 || 204 || 86 || 290 || 141 || 21 || 35 || 2.0 || 1.4 || 9.3 || 3.9 || 13.2 || 6.4 || 1.0 || 1.6 || 4

| 2017 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 23 || 65 || 39 || 249 || 103 || 352 || 153 || 31 || 78 || 2.8 || 1.7 || 10.8 || 4.5 || 15.3 || 6.6 || 1.4 || 3.4 || 9

| 2018 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 7 || 8 || 9 || 73 || 24 || 97 || 39 || 9 || 9 || 1.1 || 1.3 || 10.4 || 3.4 || 13.9 || 5.6 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 0

| 2019 || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 4 || 7 || 5 || 33 || 18 || 51 || 22 || 8 || 16 || 1.8 || 1.3 || 8.3 || 4.5 || 12.8 || 5.5 || 2.0 || 4.0 || 0

| 2020{{efn|The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.}} || {{AFL Ess}} || 6

| 4 || 3 || 6 || 31 || 8 || 39 || 25 || 1 || 2 || 0.8 || 1.5 || 7.8 || 2.0 || 9.8 || 6.3 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 1

| 2021 || {{AFL BL}} || 3

| 24 || 46 || 32 || 259 || 83 || 342 || 117 || 25 || 49 || 1.9 || 1.3 || 10.8 || 3.5 || 14.3 || 4.9 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 4

| 2022 || {{AFL BL}} || 3

| 19 || 39 || 24 || 158 || 50 || 208 || 82 || 12 || 4 || 2.0 || 1.2 || 8.3 || 2.6 || 10.9 || 4.3 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 0

| 2023 || {{AFL BL}} || 3

| 26 || 61 || 37 || 316 || 72 || 388 || 154 || 20 || 48 || 2.3 || 1.4 || 12.2 || 2.8 || 15.0 || 5.9 || 0.8 || 1.8 || 12

| bgcolor=F0E68C | 2024^# || {{AFL BL}} || 3

| 27 || 58 || bgcolor=CAE1FF | 51^† || 328 || 93 || 421 || 173 || 31 || 58 || 2.1 || 1.9 || 12.1 || 3.5 || 15.6 || 6.4 || 1.1 || 2.1 || 8

|- class=sortbottom

! colspan=3 | Career

! 204 !! 395 !! 288 !! 1993 !! 721 !! 2714 !! 1156 !! 224 !! 397 !! 1.9 !! 1.4 !! 9.8 !! 3.5 !! 13.3 !! 5.7 !! 1.1 !! 1.9 !! 44