Brent Daniels enters All-Australian conversation after dominant performance against Fremantle

Brent Daniels has lit up the competition in recent weeks, and his latest starring hand against the Fremantle Dockers has elevated him right into All-Australian consideration.

Giants Brent Daniels celebrates kicking a goal during the AFL Round 23 match between the GWS Giants and Fremantle Dockers at Engie Stadium on August 17, 2024. Photo by Phil Hillyard (Image Supplied for Editorial Use only - **NO ON SALES** - ©Phil Hillyard )

In the 18-team competition, only two players have ever put together an AFL match where they finished with 25+ disposals, 13+ tackles and three or more goals.

The little maestro, Gary Ablett Jnr, did it against the Giants back in 2015. But on Saturday afternoon in Western Sydney, in a way, it felt like the former Brownlow Medal winner had been reincarnated as Brent Daniels put on an absolute clinic against the Dockers.

Daniels’s stat line finished as follows. 29 disposals, 13 tackles, seven clearances, three goals and three goal assists. That last category he leads the entire AFL, with 33 goal assists, six more than the next best. They’re numbers that mean he must be in the conversation when All-Australian selectors get together in the coming weeks.

The 25-year-old has always had the potential to consistently put together these types of performances. But after the best two-year stretch of his career, the small forward is finally living up to it.

Daniels’s electric pace was too much for the Dockers in their round 23 clash. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“I think it is (the best footy I’ve played),” Daniels said. “I’ve always believed I can be this kind of player, there’s no doubt about that.

“I’m in good form at the moment I feel. It’s taken a lot of hard work and I’ve found my role in the team and playing a bit of midfield minutes as well. Kingers is throwing me around as well which I love.

“It really sparks when I’m around the ball. I feel like I’m building and now can kick a few more goals which I love doing.”

If you go position by position, there’s an argument that right now the Giants have four of the best players in the competition. Jesse Hogan is far and away the best key forward, while Sam Taylor is working his way back to being the best key defender after a run of injuries.

Adam Kingsley was full of praise pre-game that Lachie Whitfield is the best halfback in the competition, and in Daniels he knows they might have the most in-form small/half-forward as well.

“He was outstanding today,” Kingsley said. “It felt like when we were not quite getting it done, he was keeping us in it. Him and Jesse.

“His ability to pressure, his tackles I think he had 13 in the end, his finish. I thought he had an outstanding game and kept us in it when we needed it, and certainly provided that spark to help us get back into the game.”

His ability to inject a spark into the Giants’ game has proven vital in recent weeks. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

The hallmark of the Giants’ seven-game winning streak has been winning the little moments. They have been far from their best footy but they’ve produced enough flashes of brilliance to now defeat Hawthorn, Brisbane and Fremantle in the past three weeks.

Daniels has been integral in each of those wins, especially when his team have been slow out of the blocks. And much like fellow small forward Toby Bedford who has been given a new lease on life with a tagging role in midfield, being trusted to spend time around the stoppages has given Daniels a big confidence boost.

“I’ve probably gone in there a few times when we’ve had our backs against the wall and we need a spark and I’ve done pretty well in there,” Daniels said.

“We spoke after the Hawthorn game about throwing me in there for a few more bursts. If our midfield is doing the job, I’m not really needed. It’s more when sh-- hits the fan, I can be thrown in and bring my attributes which are quick feet and pressure.

“That usually gets me in the game. I love wherever I play, and I try to bring that energy for the group.”

Originally published as Brent Daniels enters All-Australian conversation after dominant performance against Fremantle