Joe Daniher has not been talked about much as an All-Australian candidate due to the hot start to the 2024 season by Harry McKay, but with McKay dropping off somewhat in recent weeks it has been Daniher who is in visibly better form, tracking with that of the Lions overall. They both play the modern role of a full forward who just helps out a little in ruck, and both have largely overcome a long history of poor goalkicking with some hard work on their biomechanics, including the stuff between the ears. They both deserve strong fantasy consideration, too.
Joe Daniher has not been talked about much as an All-Australian candidate due to the hot start to the 2024 season by Harry McKay, but with McKay dropping off somewhat in recent weeks it has been Daniher who is in visibly better form, tracking with that of the Lions overall. They both play the modern role of a full forward who just helps out a little in ruck, and both have largely overcome a long history of poor goalkicking with some hard work on their biomechanics, including the stuff between the ears. They both deserve strong fantasy consideration, too.
Joe Daniher is capable of the spectacular, one of the stars of the league at full flight, but as a fantasy asset he has always suffered from the classic problem of key forwards of lack of accumulation. His scoring floor has always been the problem, as his highs are as glorious as anyone's in the moment but fantasy coaches want consistent output, which full forwards can tend not to deliver every week in the modern game. Half of his scores this year have been startable and half not, making him a difficult play in draft leagues and one you'd rather not rely on.
Joe Daniher has been the biggest story at Essendon for a couple of years now, more for what is happening off the field than on with regular links to Sydney and problems with his body. When he does get on the park as he has for the last month, he has shown he can be a match winner as in the Hawks game, but he can also let the side down for weeks on end with poor goalkicking and lacking match fitness. Will we ever see his best again, and will it come at Bomberland? There are too many question marks for use outside daily fantasy competitions.
Red and black flags over Daniher
The saga of Joe Daniher dominated off-season headlines, with a painfully public dalliance with the Swans eventually shut down by Essendon. While much of the media speculation centres on his mindset after being denied his trade request, it should not be forgotten that it is his body that has been letting him down, with osteitis pubis restricting him to 11 games over the past two years. His ceiling is Coleman-capable goalkicking superstardom; his floor is another wasted season ending in acrimony. Homer coaches who had faith in Daniher last season to pick him up in fantasy drafts would have been burned pretty badly, so will they go to the well again? Even if he overcomes both mental and physical challenges to suit up for an extended run, his scoring will be frustratingly variable like every other goal-dependent key forward. It's hard to justify using anything other than a late flier on him, as there are more red flags on him than the Kop end at Anfield.
Daniher's dicky groin
Persistent groin problems lowered Joe Daniher's output early last season and then shut him down after round 7, and he had to watch from the stands as the team couldn't quite make finals without him. You can chuck away his statistics from 2018 as he was clearly hampered, and instead look back at the 62.37 he booted from an average seven marks per game the previous year as his true form. His 2019 preseason started off very slowly, with no guarantees about timelines. It is somewhat difficult to gauge Essendon's potential as a team this season because so much of it rests on Daniher and his fitness. Without him, they play Mitch W. Brown at CHF and probably don't make September again. With him, they have a shot at a flag because his best is dominant like few others in the competition. If fit for a full season, he would reward a middle-rounder. Absent a magic wand, his value is limited to a late speculator, possibly by a homer coach.
How high can you go, Joe?
He only finished fourth in the Coleman Medal, but Joe Daniher improved his goal tally from 43.32 to 62.37 in his fifth season, off the back of 14 bags of three or more goals, up from four in 2016. He also added more ruck support to his responsibilities, though never reaching double figures in hit outs. His better fantasy games featured plenty of marks, and he was almost always startable. The question on Daniher is how much upside he has left. If you look through the annals of traditional CHFs, it's hard to find anyone who improved statistically after year 5: Carey, Brereton and Nick Riewoldt had all peaked by then; Lance Franklin, Richardson and Pavlich all got more stats up the ground. Daniher is better suited near goals, and that means he may have topped out. As such, he's worth an early pick.
