Trade insider: What would have happened if Joe Daniher’s failed trade request to Sydney went through

Joe Daniher’s initial trade request bombed out. But how different would life be for the Dons had they done the deal with Sydney?

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 03: Mitch Georgiades of the Power kicks the ball during the 2021 AFL Round 03 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Port Adelaide Power at Optus Stadium on April 03, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

In Essendon’s eyes, Sydney’s offer for Joe Daniher never truly landed.

The Bombers said after the 2019 trade period that Carlton’s No. 9 pick and Sydney’s future first-rounder was tabled for their frustrated full-forward.

The Swans were expected to secure No. 9 for sending Tom Papley to the Blues.

But Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni was on the phone telling Essendon that the Papley deal was going nowhere.

The Bombers were bemused at Sydney offering up a pick it did not possess and wanted the Swans’ No. 5 selection instead.

At least that was an asset they had in their arms to trade away.

Ultimately, the buzzer blew. Daniher and Papley remained at their clubs and the Blues retained the No. 9 pick.

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Players still available at that pick in the 2019 national draft included Sam Flanders (Gold Coast — pick 11), Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne — pick 12), Will Day (Hawthorn — pick 13) and Mitch Georgiades (Port Adelaide — pick 18).

Right now Pickett — the kid who plays like Cyril Rioli and eats Coco Pops before every match — is clearly the standout.

But the indigenous firecracker gave Carlton very little in his draft interview and Brodie Kemp was always going to be the man for the Blues.

‘Kozzie’ Pickett eats Coco Pops before games and then puts bums on seats as he goes snap, crackle, pop on the field.

Kemp’s ACL injury scared some clubs off and so they knew they could secure him for cheaper.

So Silvagni placed bids on two academy players at the draft and used that extra time to strike a trade.

He swapped No. 9 for No. 17 (Kemp) and No. 20 (Sam Philp) in a clever deal that effectively netted Philp — the fastest man in the draft — for free.

Twelve months on and Papley decided to stay a Swan. But Daniher remained unsatisfied with the Bombers’ environment and, again, wanted out.

This time it was to Brisbane Lions as a restricted free agent.

Joe Daniher finally found the exit door at Essendon.

The Bombers received a first-round compensation pick for Daniher as they amassed three consecutive selections in the top 10.

The record books show powerful midfielder Archie Perkins was taken with the Daniher pick.

In reality it was Zach Reid, the last of the three picks, because if Daniher had re-signed the Bombers still would’ve drafted Nik Cox (No. 8) and Perkins (No. 9).

But what would have happened if those blockbuster deals were brokered in 2019?

Well, Papley would be a Blue, Daniher would be a Swan, and the Bombers would’ve received a top-10 pick in both the 2019 and 2020 drafts.

Like the Blues, they would’ve had access to the likes of Pickett, Day and Georgiades — the Port Adelaide forward whom they obviously liked, because they ambitiously inquired about him for Orazio Fantasia last year.

But the Bombers ranked goalkicker Harry Jones at about No. 15 or 16 in 2019 and were thrilled they were able to trade up to secure him at pick 30 on draft night.

Lifelong Essendon fan Harry Jones is looking the goods this season.

In 2020 they would’ve held Sydney’s top pick.

The Swans would’ve been weakened by the loss of 26-goal forward Papley last year and strengthened, perhaps sporadically, by the fragile Daniher.

If they still finished 16th then it would’ve been the Bombers choosing at pick No. 4, where full-forward Logan McDonald was simply impossible to ignore.

Legendary goalkicker Jason Dunstall loves McDonald’s kicking action while Nick Dal Santo said his one-armed celebration was reminiscent of Jonathan Brown.

“I can hear the turnstiles clicking — they’ve got another one,” Brown said of McDonald on Fox Footy.

“They’ve had Plugger, they’ve had Barry (Hall), they’ve had Buddy — now they’ve got young Logan McDonald.”

The Bombers will come face-to-face with McDonald at the SCG on Thursday night.

McDonald would’ve been magnificent for the Bombers, particularly as a replacement for Joe.

James Hird has backed the club’s decision to hold on to Daniher in the hope he would, like Papley, change his mind.

The Bombers lost four A-graders in their prime last year — Daniher, Fantasia, Adam Saad (Carlton) and Conor McKenna (retired) — but have since reset their culture and, so far, remained competitive on the field.

As for Reid, he is a 202cm full-back who runs like the wind and kicks the ball beautifully.

Unlike Perkins and Cox, the Leongatha boy has not made his AFL debut. But he might just wind up the best of that Bomber lot.

Zach Reid is turning heads at Tullamarine training and is closing in on his AFL debut.

Originally published as Trade insider: What would have happened if Joe Daniher’s failed trade request to Sydney went through