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Brisbane Lions key forward Joe Daniher has had his ups and downs in football \u2013 injuries restricted him to just 15 games in his last three years with Essendon; he\u2019s had well-documented issues with his goalkicking; and there have been times when his reliability and commitment have been questioned.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, though, he\u2019ll reach the denouement of the most fruitful year of his career, in which he\u2019s played every game, kicked 58 goals, and has been the focal point of the Brisbane Lions\u2019 push to a grand final. In front of goal, his technique and routine has never looked surer, whether 15 metres out or 55.<\/p>\n
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Joe Daniher has had an outstanding 2023 campaign for the Lions.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n But, most of all, Daniher seems unfazed by the occasion. As the son of Essendon great Anthony, he grew up around the game. On-field, he often looks like a big kid. He still feels like a little one. \u201cEveryone dreams back to that little kid that started loving the game,\u201d he said on Monday. \u201cHopefully this week all our players can connect to that little kid that wanted to be out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniher arrived in Brisbane at the end of the COVID-interrupted 2020 season, happy to escape Melbourne\u2019s football-mad culture. He doesn\u2019t even live in Brisbane, commuting to play and train from northern New South Wales. He very rarely consents to talk to the media. But he remains very aware that grand final week is for all fans of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be really aware of how important this week is to so many people,\u201d he said. \u201cThis week is about the AFL fans as much as it is the players \u2013 it\u2019s about the whole AFL community \u2026 we need to make sure that we give back to the people that support the game and love the game, and we\u2019ll be doing that as best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if the extended Daniher clan would be there to support him \u2013 not just Anthony and mother Joanne but his uncles Terry, Neale and Chris, who all played for the Bombers, he grinned. \u201cI think a lot of them can go get their own tickets. I\u2019ll look after a few, but I think my uncles and Dad can go find their own tickets for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor anyone who\u2019s not a fan of Collingwood, we\u2019ll find you a scarf and a beanie to come along for the Brisbane ride.\u201d<\/p>\n Uncle Neale, he said, would be there, despite his ongoing battle with Motor Neurone Disease and his ongoing work as co-founder and patron of the Fight MND charity. \u201cHe\u2019d better be there! I think we\u2019ll find him a Brisbane scarf. It might be hard work to get it on him, but I think he\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n For non-Collingwood supporters, it\u2019s scarves and beanies all round. \u201cWe\u2019ve obviously got a proud history that lies in Victoria, our Fitzroy fan base is incredible [but] we\u2019ll take any supporters that want to come along for the ride. For anyone who\u2019s not a fan of Collingwood, we\u2019ll find you a scarf and a beanie to come along for the Brisbane ride,\u201d Daniher said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never played in a grand final, so it\u2019ll be a unique atmosphere I imagine. There\u2019ll be a lot of Collingwood supporters, a lot of Brisbane supporters, but really just a lot of AFL supporters there. So it\u2019s just a terrific opportunity to play in front of the whole football community and we\u2019re really excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lions have held an advantage over Collingwood in recent years, having not been beaten by the Magpies since Easter Thursday of 2019. It is history now. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a few wins against the Pies, but we\u2019ve seen their football this year is incredible. They play with a lot of flair, a lot of freedom, there\u2019s a reason they finished on top of the ladder.\u201d<\/p>\n This time, the Lions will have to play them at the MCG \u2013 where the Lions have won just one match in the past 15 attempts. That, Daniher said, was history too. \u201cWe\u2019re fully aware that the grand final\u2019s played at the MCG and we\u2019re very excited by that, it\u2019s a stadium that holds the most amount fans in there to enjoy the game, and we\u2019re very excited about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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