90-year-old Daniher matriarch to watch her royal family chase glory at the MCG
The Danihers are Australian sporting royalty. Joe is on the cusp of another AFL flag for the tribe. He’s making his way to the MCG for Saturday’s grand final between Brisbane and Sydney. So’s grandma.
Difficult to meet are the skyscraping expectations of a famous surname. Joe Daniher has dauntlessly and daringly continued his tribe’s celebrated legacy.
Now he receives the chance on Saturday to add a fourth AFL flag to the lushest of family trees. Edna is proud and on her way to the MCG. We’ll formally introduce Edna in a sec.
The Danihers. One of the royal families of Australian sport. Up there with the Chappells, the Waughs, the Abletts, the Ellas, the Marshes, the McKeons, the Tszyus, the Reddys, the Mortimers, the Hugheses, the Konradses, the Thornetts. Joe’s old man, Anthony, played 233 games, mainly for Essendon.
His uncles, Terry, Chris and Neale, now in his legendary, inspiring, decade-long fight with “The Beast,” his term for Motor Neurone Disease, racked up a combined 529 appearances, primarily for the Bombers.
They won three grand finals and became the only quartet of VFL/AFL brothers to feature in the same game. From Daniher to Daniher to Daniher to Daniher, all under the watchful and ever-caring eye of Edna, whom we promise to formally introduce in a sec.
The end of the brothers Daniher’s careers didn’t finish the dynasty. From Daniher to Daniher to Daniher to Daniher to another Daniher – the mercurial, brilliant, entertaining, unpredictable, completely unique, hot, cold, hero-and-zero, rocks-and-diamonds, ever-mysterious, ever-smiling Joe has added 202 matches to a family tally now standing at a whopping 964 games.
He lives in northern NSW while playing for the Brisbane Lions, he doesn’t own a TV, his mullet and moustache combo is 1980s-worthy and he does interviews once every second blue moon.
Before his landmark 200th game a few weeks ago, he shunned AFL-wide fanfare in favour of a quick chat with the Lions’ website.
“There’s still leanings, still growth, still parts of my game I want to improve and I’m excited by that,” he said.
“For me, it’s about my teammates. Hopefully I’ve been a really enjoyable player to play with. That’s something I try to do week in and week out. Whether it be on the training track or on the field, I want to be a player my teammates remember for being someone they loved to play with.
“Hopefully I’ve got some teammates who think so. That’s what is really important to me.”
Joe’s show is one of the best in town. The 30-year-old, 200cm, taller-than-tall forward can miss an unmissable goal from right in front of the sticks.
Don’t bag him or you’ll have to deal with Edna, whom we are guaranteed to formally introduce in a sec. Then he’ll land an impossible shot from a mile away. He’s taken marks in perfect positions only to deliver a madcap pass that destroys a certain goal, notwithstanding his ability to miss the unmissable and make the unmakeable. From gimmes to Hail Marys, Daniher can be a 50-50 proposition from any set shot on the park.
The Lions take the good with the unforced errors with Daniher, not the least because he’s a great bloke, and not the least because he invariably comes good in the biggest games and of course, not the least because you’re a hell of a player if you’ve made a double-century of appearances in Australia’s premier winter code. Nobody gets more of a kick from his performances than Edna, whom we most assuredly will formally introduce in a sec.
When the Lions trailed Greater Western Sydney by 44 points in the semi-finals, when they were down among the dead men for the season, it was Daniher who took two clutch marks, and booted both goals, one a barnburner from over the sideline, as the Lions grabbed a win for the ages.
This from two-time premiership winner and Fox Footy commentator David King: “Joe Daniher just takes you on this ride. He can disappoint you one minute and win you back the next. His last term (against the Giants), when you had to have them (goals), you have to take your hat off.”
This from Lions coach Chris Fagan: “He divides opinions, Joey. But what I do know about him is he has a good heart and always puts the team first. When he makes some of those mistakes that everybody makes comment on, it usually comes from a good place and he’s just trying to help the team. Every now and then he gets it wrong, as do a lot of players, but he seems to pay a larger price for that than some. I try to remain even and level with him and I think he appreciates that. He’s helped us win a lot of games.”
Joe was signed by Essendon in 2013 under the father-son (and perhaps three superstar uncles) rule. The Dees were grappling with the fallout from their drugs scandal. Daniher became ravaged by injury. He moved to the Lions three years ago. Thirty-four years after Anthony lost the 1990 grand final, playing for Essendon against Collingwood, Joe’s engaging father (and Edna) will be one of about 30 folks surnamed Daniher among the 100,000-strong throng for the Lions/Sydney Swans decider at the MCG.
“We’ve had a great run as a family,” Anthony says. “And it’s still going.”
At 2m, Joe is a bit of a skyscraper himself. Asked about the towering expectations his son is living up to, Anthony replies: “I understand exactly what you’re saying, but Joe was actually always pretty comfortable with it.
“You play at this level and you’ve got to stand on your own two feet, don’t you? Especially for the length of time he’s played. He certainly never showed or said anything that gave us any indication that it was going to be a problem. He just got on with it and did it his way.”
Enigmatic. Mysterious to most, except Edna, whom we cannot forget to formally introduce in a sec. What’s Joe like? “He’s very smart,” Anthony says. “Reads the play in a game very well. Reads people very well. Away from footy, he loves reading and history and music, and he loves his friends. He’s going very, very well and I’m very proud of him. We all are.”
The Danihers had a family gathering recently at Wagga Wagga in country NSW. Edna was turning 90. Edna is Anthony’s mother and Joe’s grandmother. She still lives at Ungarie, near Wagga. Eighty members of the Daniher royal family were in attendance. Eighty! They nearly outnumbered the candles on the cake. Anthony will introduce Edna in the next available sec.
“Joe’s number one fan is his 90-year-old grandma,” Anthony says. “Edna keeps reminding him that she loves watching him play. It’s what helps to keep her going. Joe’s got all his aunties and uncles who are big fans … let’s just say he’s got a lot of family support … but Edna is his biggest supporter.
“We’re a big family. I’m one of 11 kids. When you’re one of 11, by now there’s grandchildren and great grandchildren … it’s chaos, really Organised chaos! We have a big clan and we’re very lucky and Edna is still sharp as a tack. She lives on the big wheat and sheep farm where she’s been for the last 60 years, at Ungarie in the Riverina. Her sisters take care of her and our brother runs the family farm and it’s fantastic. She loves her sport, loves the footy, and she’s making her way to Melbourne for Joe’s grand final.”
Go grandma. From the late 1970s, for more than two decades, Edna watched her four sons carving up the running game. Now she’ll be ringside to take a squiz at her grandson. Perhaps en route she’ll sing one of the Little River Band’s better lyrics: “Hang on, help is on its way. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” Forty-one years after first watching a son in a grand final, she’s on her way to her eighth family decider, buying the ticket and taking the 600km ride from Ungarie. Only the best grandmas get their own stats. Here’s Edna’s:
- 1983 – Terry lost.
- 1984 – Terry won.
- 1985 – Terry won.
- 1990 – Terry and Anthony lost.
- 1993 – Chris won.
- 2000- Neale lost.
- 2023 – Joe lost.
- 2024 - ???
“There’s been good and bad to our footy for mum,” Anthony chuckles. “Because the MCG has always been front and centre on her trips to Melbourne. There’s no beach shots of mum on holidays in Melbourne. Everything has revolved around the MCG. She’ll be there again on Saturday. She’s in great nick, she loves Joe and we all think that’s fantastic.”
Joe played 108 games in eight injury-impacted years at Essendon. He’s played 94 in just four seasons in the Sunshine State. Asked if escaping Melbourne’s AFL bubble and 24/7 spotlight was good for Joe, Anthony says: “Joe broke down with osteitis pubis and basically missed three years of footy and it was all about a fresh start, some warm air, some ocean water, and he’s used all that to help his recovery, which has been fantastic, touch wood. He’s got himself back to being healthy and the Lions are a great club. They’re well-structured, well-set up, well-managed and a great bunch of guys. He’s very happy.”
Enigmatic. Mysterious. As Hunter S Thompson says of life and David King says of Joe – buy the ticket, take the ride. This from the AFL before his 200th game: “Only one player in the AFL lives in a different state to the one he plays in. The same player is just as likely to kick a goal from 65m as he is to miss one from 25m. He’s taken a mark of the year and won an elimination final off his own boot. He provides highlights almost every week and always gives paying spectators and TV viewers something to remember – good, not-so-good, bizarre – and all with a smile. He divides opinions. That man is Joe Daniher.”
The royal family has won three premierships. Which shows how difficult they are to land. Joe played in the Lions’ narrow defeat to Collingwood last year. Anthony is asked if he’ll be racked with envy if his son tastes the sweet success that eluded him in 1990.
“Oh, 500 per cent,” he grins. “We’ll all be over the moon. A lot of those players deserve the opportunity to win a premiership so if they can get it, it will be fantastic. Sydney’s a very, very good team, though, and it could be a great grand final. Which is fantastic. It’s a great day.
“I grew up watching grand finals, when Dad would drive us down (from Ungarie) and you’d have the early days of standing room only. Then we slowly progressed to seats at the MCG. I’ve been able to see nearly every grand final from about 1970 onwards.”
From Daniher to Daniher to Daniher to Daniher to Edna to another Daniher. When Joe’s grandfather, Jim, passed away on the family farm five years ago, Neale wrote on Instagram: “At the age of 90, Dad died on his beloved Hillview property at Ungarie. He was a farmer right until the very end. Died working with his boots on. Learnt so much from Dad, not so much by what he said but what he did. His legacy will live on strong through his wife, Edna, their 11 children and families. Love you forever.”
Hang on, Joe. Help is on its way. She’ll be there as fast as she can. “There will be 20 to 30 of us Danihers at the grand final,” Anthony says. “It really is the best day. The walk from Fed Square to the MCG is just fantastic. You soak that up and then you’re inside the ‘G, which is a pretty special place. It’s tough to get tickets but we’ve scrambled around and asked for favours and found a few. We’ll all be there for Joe but grand final day itself is always special. As a good friend of mine says, ‘It’s Christmas Day for adults.”
Tiger delight as North pays heavy price for final draft night pick
On a night where little caused a surprise, North Melbourne waited until the last moment to pull a stunner, paying a significant price and taking an even more significant risk.
‘Absolute blunder’: Essendon’s ‘staggering’ draft move smashed
The Bombers had a relatively quiet trade period by their standards, with their focus on Isaac Kako. Now after securing the small forward, their method has been whacked by a draft expert.