Daniher celebrates a goal late in the grand final.Credit:AFL Photos
“I came here when the foundations were set,and we were in such a good place. They came from a long way back. A lot of people have come in late,so I’m so pleased for the whole club and the whole support team.”
Daniher capped his performance with a second goal late in the match,after which his teammates mobbed him,in what he described as “a beautiful feeling” and something he would remember fondly.
Everyone from teenage Lion Logan Morris to Eric Hipwood,Charlie Cameron and Hugh McCluggage sung Daniher’s praises on Saturday night,along with the club’s long-serving forwards coach,Murray Davis.
They painted a picture of a man disinterested in the trappings of fame but revered internally for his on-field feats and as a mentor and great teammate.
“Around the club,he is an amazing bloke – he’s probably one of the nicest blokes in the club. He’s so soft and gets around all us boys,teaches us throughout the week,and on game day,he’s even better,” Morris toldThe Age.
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“He’s such a leader out there,and we all learn off him,and especially the back half of the year,he’s just really been a role model for us boys,and we love playing with him.”
Hipwood offered a similar version of events,saying he was “incredibly grateful” to share a forward line with Daniher and win a premiership alongside him.
“I lean on him so much for advice all the time,and he’s so measured with the way that he goes about things,” Hipwood said.
Davis also shared an insight into the Daniher they know from young forward-ruck Henry Smith’s AFL debut in round 19 against Gold Coast.
“Joe was really strong on making sure that we gave other people opportunities,” Davis said. “He was fully invested in Henry,and to a point where he almost sacrificed his own game for the good of Henry.”
McCluggage calls him an “enigma”,but also a genuine person,a good friend,a super talent and someone who “always puts the team first”.
The last word went to Charlie Cameron,Daniher’s small forward sidekick who has been a major part of this club’s rags-to-riches rise.
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“He’s a quiet bloke around the footy club,but I can’t thank him enough[for everything he has done],” Cameron said.
“He’s had a super year,and he should have an All-Australian jacket[from 2024]. It’s a credit to him. He drives three hours from Byron Bay every day to training,and I hope he stays.”
None of them had the answer everyone wanted,but they all had the same answer for what they want to happen.