AFL Daily: Joe Daniher says he's comfortable with contract situation, rolling footy news for Tuesday September 3, 2019
Essendon forward Joe Daniher says Bomber fans have 'no reason' to be nervous about his future and he's not bothered by continued speculation linking him with a move to Sydney.
Star Essendon forward Joe Daniher says Essendon fans had “no reason” to be nervous about his future.
“Obviously there’s a lot in the media, which I’m not privy to because I don’t spend a lot of time reading newspapers or watching TV,” Daniher told the Herald Sun.
“But I’m comfortable. I’ve made some comments, the football club has made some comments and for me I can just get on with business.
“I can get on with the work I’m working on, and that’s fixing my body at the moment.”
If Daniher stays at Essendon he will join Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) and Lachie Whitfield (GWS) on next year’s golden list of free agents.
Daniher was unfazed at that prospect, adamant he was capable of blocking out media speculation.
The powerful goalkicker said the Swans were “absolutely a live option” during his junior years, with Sydney and Essendon vying for his signature as a father-son prospect.
“I considered it (Sydney) when I was 15 years old and that feels like a lifetime ago now. I’m now 25 and I’m happy with the process we’re going through now,” he said.
“They (Sydney) are a terrific football club. It also makes it a little bit hard when you’re 15, you’re quite young and trying to see what your life looks like a little bit further down the track.
“I don’t know about you, but I was a very immature 15-year-old trying to make mature decisions.”
Joe Daniher had the perfect opportunity yesterday to categorically say publicly he was a passionate Essendon person and guarantee he'll remain in the red and black. Choosing not to do that only fans the flames of uncertainty and speculation.
Father Anthony Daniher played 115 games for the Swans (1981-86) and 118 for Essendon (1987-94), giving Joe the choice between clubs.
But with older brother Darcy Daniher playing for Essendon, and talk growing that childhood idol James Hird would sign as coach, Joe settled on the Bombers in 2010 and was officially drafted two years later.
Daniher won Essendon’s best-and-fairest and was All-Australian in 2017 but has managed just 11 games since.
He signed a three-year contract worth about $2 million in 2017, which expires next year.
Daniher is completing cross-training, weights and undergoing frequent physiotherapy in a bid to prepare his body for 2020.
“Obviously I’d like to be further along than I am. I’d like to be back fully training, but it’s been a bit slower,” he said.
"That (targeting the start of pre-season) is essentially why we made the decision to pull the pin early in the year. I couldn’t continue to risk missing pre-seasons and into next year.
“The long-term view was that would be too costly for myself. Hopefully that gives me the best chance of a positive, uninterrupted next year.”
Joe Daniher says he's happy at Essendon.
Daniher will host injured teammates Devon Smith, Irving Mosquito, Sam Draper, Kobe Mutch and Noah Gown at his house on Thursday night to watch Essendon's elimination final against West Coast.
The Thursday timeslot ruled Daniher out of travelling west because it would’ve “mucked up” his rehabilitation schedule.
Daniher, 25, declared he was working overtime to get his body right for day one at pre-season at Tullamarine after weeks of speculation he could be offloaded in a blockbuster trade.
Daniher sported pink nail polish at yesterday’s Kayo launch, in support of Polished Man, a charity which raises funds to end violence against children.
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Lipinski living out Bulldogs dream
Ben Broad
Patrick Lipinski keeps a photo in his phone from the 2016 AFL grand final and it’s going nowhere.
There’s 18-year-old Lipinski high in the MCG grandstand, grinning broadly, wearing his Bulldogs top and scarf.
A few weeks later he was drafted to the Bulldogs and three years later, the midfielder is about to play in their first final since that historic premiership.
“I had a little think about it over the weekend. It is pretty cool, the last final they were in, I was watching as a fan,” he said.
“I never thought I’d be playing for the Bulldogs.
“But I don’t want to get caught up in that too much, I still want to keep my normal routine, enjoy the week, good weather.
“2016 is in the past.”
Lipinski returned to the senior team in round 13 and has played every game since, adding depth to one of the AFL’s best midfields.
Marcus Bontempelli, one of the main Brownlow Medal favourites, and Jack Macrae made the All-Australian team and fellow onballer Josh Dunkley also was named in the 40-man squad.
“There’s three of the best 10 midfielders in the competition right now – sometimes you have to pinch yourself when you’re at the centre bounce,” Lipinski said.
“It’s pretty cool and obviously they get a lot of attention drawn towards them … they get little handballs to you that not many other players can find.”
The Bulldogs will start favourites in Saturday’s elimination final against GWS at Giants Stadium, having mauled them in the second half at the same venue only two games ago.
But the Giants will be a much stronger side this time and Lipinski knows his finals debut will be a different experience.
He will leave it until later in the week to pick the brains of teammates with finals experience.
“It’s mainly just excitement and optimism – you don’t really know what to expect,” he said.
“It’s a dream come true.
“You need to just keep it a little bit normal, you don’t want to get too psyched out.”
The Giants also boast a strong midfield and Lipinski said the Bulldogs onballers have an underdog mindset, where they try to nullify their opponents whenever possible.
“They’re not coming after us, we’re coming after them and that’s really helped us in the back half of the year,” he said.
– AAP
BEN HORNE + JON RITSON report…
Beware the footballer with the raspy voice.
Rugby league fans have long luxuriated in the deeds of gravel talkers such as Darren Lockyer and Gary Larson, and now the AFL has its own Giant tale.
GWS backman Nick Haynes appears set to make a stunning comeback to face the Western Bulldogs in Saturday’s elimination final after spending the past three weeks getting his voice box back in tune.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says it'll be tough for exciting Tiger Marlion Pickett to force his way into the Tigers' September line-up.
Pickett, the 27-year-old selected by Richmond in the mid-season draft, has excited the club after overcoming injury.
The Tigers enter the finals in red-hot form with slots in the 22 at a premium.
That will make it tough for Pickett to earn his AFL debut.
"You sort of generally love the side you've got now and there's a few pieces you can look at," Hardwick said.
"Marlion's one of those guys, you love the look of and you think 'oh, he'd be able to add something to us' but you're a little bit unsure.
"We haven't seen him at AFL level yet, but I think after another pre-season he's going to be an incredible player for us. He's certainly got a lot of upside, we're very excited about what he's brought thus far, but we think he's going to be a better player again."
The West Australian thrilled Tiger fans in the VFL at the weekend, booting goals and taking a courageous mark that caught the eye of Hardwick and the rest of the footy world.
"Marlion Pickett's mark. If that was taken at AFL level we'd still be talking about it today," he told Fox Footy.
"It was incredible. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it."
BELOW: Marlion Pickett's amazing VFL mark. Pic: Michael Klein
No gig for Brad Scott ... yet
Ben Broad
CHRIS CAVANAGH reports…
THE AFL has denied former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has been offered a job at the league – but football operations boss Steve Hocking has not ruled out bringing him onboard.
Hocking confirmed the pair had met but a role had to be available and appropriate and said he expected Scott to have multiple options to weigh up.
“Brad’s going to have a number of opportunities,” Hocking said.
“He’s an impressive individual. I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with him at comp committee and what I would say is he’s going to have a number of opportunities to consider and potentially one of those might be at the AFL. I’ve met with Brad a couple of times. I’ve got a strong relationship with him. But there needs to be a purpose for his involvement and there also needs to be a position available.”
Scott spent 10 years as Kangaroos coach before stepping away after Round 10 this year.
An older and wiser Jordan De Goey has learned to handle life in the AFL bubble and is raring to lead Collingwood to finals redemption.
De Goey looms as a huge inclusion for Friday night’s qualifying final against Geelong at the MCG, and not just for his on-field heroics.
A talented but troubled youngster whose indiscretions threatened to derail his career, the 23-year-old has made significant lifestyle changes, stepped up his professionalism and become one of the Pies’ most important players.
That has involved learning to live with the scrutiny that accompanies playing for the AFL’s biggest club.
Having recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the past five weeks, De Goey took the chance to escape during the pre-finals bye.
“I got away on Sunday, just went to a mate’s farm and mucked around there which was good fun,” he said.
“I probably just try and get away as much as possible … it’s just getting out of the spotlight or the Melbourne bubble.
“In Melbourne it’s usually pretty good, you just have a bit more responsibility when you go out and do things. The older you get, the smarter you become.”
De Goey says he hasn’t watched a replay of last year’s four-point loss to West Coast, describing it as a “touchy subject” but one that still left him proud of the club’s achievements.
“No one even expected us to make finals, let alone a grand final,” he said.
“Four points is pretty close – it could go either way.
“It was a fantastic experience and I’ll take a lot from it but you kind of forget about it and move on to the next one and use that hunger to go one better.”
– AAP
Grand final a 'touchy subject' for De Goey
An older and wiser Jordan De Goey has learned to handle life in the AFL bubble and is raring to lead Collingwood to finals redemption.
De Goey looms as a huge inclusion for Friday night’s qualifying final against Geelong at the MCG, and not just for his on-field heroics.
A talented but troubled youngster whose indiscretions threatened to derail his career, the 23-year-old has made significant lifestyle changes, stepped up his professionalism and become one of the Pies’ most important players.
That has involved learning to live with the scrutiny that accompanies playing for the AFL’s biggest club.
Having recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the past five weeks, De Goey took the chance to escape during the pre-finals bye.
“I got away on Sunday, just went to a mate’s farm and mucked around there which was good fun,” he said.
“I probably just try and get away as much as possible … it’s just getting out of the spotlight or the Melbourne bubble.
“In Melbourne it’s usually pretty good, you just have a bit more responsibility when you go out and do things. The older you get, the smarter you become.”
De Goey says he hasn’t watched a replay of last year’s four-point loss to West Coast, describing it as a “touchy subject” but one that still left him proud of the club’s achievements.
“No one even expected us to make finals, let alone a grand final,” he said.
“Four points is pretty close – it could go either way.
“It was a fantastic experience and I’ll take a lot from it but you kind of forget about it and move on to the next one and use that hunger to go one better.”
Rugby league fans have long luxuriated in the deeds of gravel talkers such as Darren Lockyer and Gary Larson, and now the AFL has its own Giant tale.
GWS backman Nick Haynes appears set to make a stunning comeback to face the Western Bulldogs in Saturday’s elimination final after spending the past three weeks getting his voice box back in tune.
Is Adelaide midfielder Hugh Greenwood set to spurn rival interest and stay a Crow?
The former basketballer turned big-bodied midfielder is without a contract for 2020 and has come under the eye of rival clubs, including St Kilda and Hawthorn.
Earlier this year he deferred contract talks, sparking concern he might leave West Lakes.
But today he took to social media, hinting his future lay in Adelaide.
"Season 4 in the books," he wrote on Instagram.
"Thank you to those that continue to make this crazy dream a reality. 2020 is about to be the best yet. 🙏🏼💚"
A post shared by Hugh Greenwood (@hgreenwood3) on Sep 2, 2019 at 5:07pm PDT
Hodge to wait before future call
Ben Broad
Brisbane veteran Luke Hodge is undecided if he'll play on next season, instead focusing on his side's September campaign.
Hodge, the four-time premiership Hawk who joined Chris Fagan to help steer the Lions back to the finals, said he'd make a call on his playing future once Brisbane's season is dusted.
“I haven’t really had the need to really focus too much on that. When we sort of came up here we thought, ‘we’ll get a two-year contract and sort of see how we go’," he said.
"But as the season has gone on, the main focus is to see how much we can improve as a group. My focus is obviously this week against Richmond, but how far we can push as a younger group.
"When the season is done, we’ll come to the decision then. But my main focus has been trying to help this group get as far as it can this year."
Hodge's leadership has been a key cog in Brisbane's renaissance in 2019.
That leadership was on display for all to see after the club's round 23 loss to the Tigers – whom the Lions meet again this week in a qualifying final at the Gabba.
“It was pretty much just to soak up what we went through," Hodge told Channel 7's Talking Footy of his post-siren chat with teammates.
"We got outplayed on that day against Richmond. But it was pretty much just to say to the guys that what we’d done through the whole season – we’d finished top two, we got a home final.
"And just remember the mistakes we made. Just to keep your chin up. The footy we’ve played this year had been a big jump ahead from previous years but we also learned a lot from the last two games as well."
