Joe Daniher officially a Lion as AFL free agents move fast on frantic Friday

The big money deals have been flowing on the first day of the AFL free agency with five deals done including one of the big names.

A massive opening day of AFL free agency has ended with a massive move as Joe Daniher became a Brisbane Lion.

The Bombers star has finally been able to make the move after the paperwork was lodged by the Lions just before close of business on Friday, with Essendon quickly choosing not to match the offer.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Daniher will now join the preliminary finalists in 2021, with the Bombers set to get a first-round pick in compensation – currently the No. 7 pick.

It means the Bombers will have pick six and seven, and comes a year after Daniher was pursued by the Swans with the fifth and ninth picks of the Draft.

But another season ruined by injuries has seen Daniher play just 15 games in the past three years, as the 27-year-old played 108 games for Essendon.

Joe Daniher's signing is a huge coup for @brisbanelions.

Does it cast a further shadow over the future of Stefan Martin?

— QUENTIN HULL (@QuentinHull) October 30, 2020

Bummed to see Essendon lose Daniher officially. Guy just has so much potential and upside, and is an incredibly fun football player. The injuries have really sucked. The whole situation the last two years has sucked for everyone, from player to club.

Hope he kills it at Brisbane

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 30, 2020

Joey Daniher let's go! Welcome to the den #uncaged

— Mitch Robinson (@MitchRobinson05) October 30, 2020

Bombers list boss Adrian Dodoro was pleased with the result.

“I would like to thank Brisbane for their dealings in recent weeks. We feel we have reached a fair deal,“ he said.

“Finally, on behalf of the club, we would like to thank Joe for his contribution to the Essendon Football Club over the past eight seasons and wish him and his family all the very best for their future.”

It comes after Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell said Daniher was closer to staying with the Bombers than most believed.

“I thought we got to a position where Joey was really close to staying,” Campbell told SEN.

“I think the length of time it took for him to make that decision is a reflection we got much closer than people think to him staying at the football club.”

AFL Round 18. 19/09/2020. Essendon vs Melbourne at Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast. Joe Daniher of the Bombers q4 . Pic: Michael Klein

Daniher wasn’t the only big news with Isaac Smith moves to Geelong from Hawthorn, GWS pair Zac Williams and Aiden Corr are off to Carlton and North Melbourne and the Crows’ Rory Atkins has joined the Suns.

Late in the day, the AFL confirmed that Geelong had also lodged its paperwork for the Giants’ 2019 Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron, although GWS is expected to match the offer and force a more beneficial trade.

The AFL has received paperwork for Restricted Free Agent Jeremy Cameron to sign with the Geelong Cats. The AFL is currently processing the details.

— AFL House (@AFL_House) October 30, 2020

The Giants are expected to ask for Geelong midfielder Brandan Parfitt in a trade according to AFL.com.au.

Earlier in the day, Smith declared he wants to be a Cat in 2021, according to the Herald Sun, knocking back offers to finish his career as a one-club player or join Melbourne.

AFL.com.au reported Smith was having trouble with the idea of moving to the Cats, who have been the Hawks’ biggest rival during his career.

But in a bombshell opening to the AFL’s free agency period he’s come around to the idea of joining Geelong with the Cats chasing Smith, Cameron and North’s Shaun Higgins in the trade window.

The frenzy continued on Friday morning as Carlton made a formal offer to Greater Western Sydney’s Williams, the rebounding defender seeking a big-money, long-term move to the Blues.

Foxsports.com.au reports the deal is worth approximately $800,000 across six years, so $4.8m all up, with incentives that can drag that figure up to $900,000 per season.

Atkins has also joined Gold Coast as a free agent, inking a four-year deal worth approximately $400,000 a season. In return, the Crows will receive an end of second-round compensation pick.

Meanwhile, Richmond’s Oleg Markov will sign a two-year deal with the Suns, AFL Trade Radio’s Mitch Cleary reported.

North Melbourne reportedly sent through the paperwork for Corr on Friday afternoon, with the return to Victoria set to be as long as five years. GWS will likely get second-round compensation for Corr’s exit.

Free agency runs until next Friday, November 6.

Zac Williams, Joe Daniher and Isaac Smith.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Brad Crouch (Adelaide Crows), Joe Daniher (Essendon), Jeremy Cameron (GWS), Aidan Corr (GWS), Zac Williams (GWS)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Adelaide
Rory Atkins
Ben Crocker (Rookie)*
Kyle Hartigan
David MacKay

Brisbane Lions
Jacob Allison (Rookie)*
Matt Eagles (Rookie)*
Ryan Lester
Corey Lyons (Rookie)*
Stefan Martin
Sam Skinner (Rookie)*

Carlton
Hugh Goddard (Rookie)*
Callum Moore (Rookie)*

Collingwood
Tim Broomhead (Rookie)*

Essendon
Martin Gleeson
Mitchell Hibberd (Rookie)*
Shaun McKernan*
Will Snelling (Rookie)*
Jacob Townsend (Rookie)*

Fremantle
Hugh Dixon (Rookie)*
David Mundy
Thomas North (Rookie)*

Geelong
Lachlan Henderson (Rookie)*
Harry Taylor

Gold Coast
Jarrod Harbrow
Josh Schoenfeld (Rookie)*

GWS
Sam Reid (Rookie)*
Zachary Sproule (Rookie)*

Hawthorn
Keegan Brooksby (Rookie)*
Darren Minchington (Rookie)*
Isaac Smith

Melbourne
Mitch Brown (Rookie)*
Corey Wagner (Rookie)*

North Melbourne
Majak Daw*
Taylor Garner
Kyron Hayden (Rookie)*
Ben Jacobs
Jamie Macmillan
Josh Walker*
Mason Wood

Port Adelaide
Wylie Buzza*
Riley Grundy (Rookie)*
Cam Sutcliffe (Rookie)*
Boyd Woodcock (Rookie)*

Richmond
Bachar Houli

St Kilda
Ryan Abbott*
Jarryn Geary

Sydney Swans
Jack Maibaum*

West Coast
Brendon Ah Chee (Rookie)*
Hamish Brayshaw (Rookie)*
Andrew Gaff
Mark Hutchings*

Western Bulldogs
Taylor Duryea^
Ryan Gardner (Rookie)*
Billy Gowers*
Roarke Smith (Rookie)*
Matthew Suckling^
Jackson Trengove^
*Previously delisted
^Previously qualified as a free agent