Things could have gone very differently on Saturday night for Joe Daniher.
The Brisbane Lions star’s brain fade on the stroke of half time – where he took a stunning pack mark near goal, only to handball off to a teammate as the siren sounded – may at another point in his career seen his head drop, his body language plummet and his team stumble to defeat.
Indeed, former great Dermott Brereton was scathing of Daniher’s blunder, taking the one-time Bomber to task for ‘smartarse’ behaviour.
“We’re on late enough to say this – that’s a smart arse,” Brereton said on Fox Footy at half time.
“Just kick the goal! You’ve taken a towering mark, kick the goal back over the bloke’s head you’ve taken the specky on and look him in the eye and say, ‘That was pretty good, wasn’t it?’”
Instead, Daniher picked himself up, dusted himself off and proved the difference in a scrappy match, booting three second-half goals and four for the match in the Lions’ 11.14 (80) to 10.9 (69) win.
Trailing by 15 points heading into the final quarter after a dominant third term by the Power, it was Daniher who sparked the Lions to life, kicking two goals in quick succession as the Lions ran away with the match late.
So impressed was Brereton by Daniher’s recovery that he even deigned to give the 28-year old honours as one of his best afield, alongside Power stars Travis Boak (32 touches and a goal) and Dan Houston (36 and two).
“My top three, in no particular order… Boak, Houston and Daniher,” Brereton said after the match.
“I want to not give Daniher votes, because of that brain fade at half time! I thought he was being a smartypants.
“But you take four contested marks up in the front half, and you kick four – which probably really was a five! – that’s a big night in a team which kicks 11.”
After the match, a candid Daniher admitted he’d ‘like to have that one back’, but defended his own selflessness in being willing to pass off a likely goal.
“It’s the way I’m trying to play,” Daniher told Channel 7 immediately following the final siren.
“I don’t think the coach will be too worried about it because we got the four points, but a little bit more game awareness would have been nice.”
According to fellow presenter and former AFL player Tony Armstrong, the moment epitomised Daniher’s career – both for good and ill.
“If you wanted to sum him up as a footballer, it’s that five seconds of play before the half,” Armstrong said.
“He takes the big hanger, and then he just doesn’t really think exactly where he is for a second, gives the ball away, siren goes!
“He brings a lot of joy to everyone, with the way that he plays and the smile that he has on his face.”
Brereton agreed, saying Daniher’s mercurial nature brought much-needed ‘theatre’ to the sport.
“You’re on the edge of your seat thinking, what is he going to do brilliantly next, what is he going to brilliantly stuff up next?” Brereton laughed.
“He gives you all the emotions in one afternoon, one evening of football.”
Joe Daniher celebrates a goal during the round one AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Port Adelaide Power. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Daniher’s heroics were the shining light in a scrappy opening for two of last year’s premier teams, played in hot and greasy conditions at the Gabba.
Certainly, the weather played its part in the torrid affair in Daniher’s eyes.
“It wasn’t pretty for both sides I think… it was going to be an arm wrestle and it was,” he said.
“The boys just lifted, probably got more comfortable with the tempo of the game. It was really hot early, and that took some getting used to.”
A whopping 136 clangers were committed by the two sides combined, despite the relatively low possession counts (Port 357, the Lions 329), and saw several players set up by so-called ‘hospital passes’ throughout the night.
According to Brereton, the first half in particular resembled that of two sides nearer the bottom of the ladder than the top.
“At half time, I thought the standard of the game was befitting two teams in the bottom six. They looked really, really rusty,” he said.
“They kept trying to chip it inside, we were upstairs wincing, and they kept missing targets.
“The Lions got the win in the end, but he [coach Chris Fagan] would want to get the rustiness out of them.”
Few players rose above the standard, though Lachie Neale’s composure and clean hands in midfield proved critical in the Lions’ last-quarter surge; while up forward, Lincoln McCarthy was a constant menace.
For Armstrong, it was the sort of game Fagan will be keen to strike from the record and move on from.
“I think it’s one of those ones where he will go, ‘alright, we’ve got our four points, thanks goodness for that, but geez, we can really go to so many more levels, thank god we got away with that one’,” Armstrong said.
Both sides will be left counting the cost of the hard-fought clash, with the Lions losing captain Dayne Zorko for much of the second half as his troublesome Achilles, which had his fitness in doubt leading into the match, flared up. Daniel Rich also had work done on his hip flexor in the second quarter, but played out the match.
Tought nut Mitch Robinson could also find himself in strife with Match Review Officer Michael Christian, after a high bump saw Port youngster Xavier Duursma suffer a suspected collarbone injury that saw him substituted out of the game shortly after.
For the Power, alongside Duursma, defender Trent McKenzie suffered the most serious injury of the evening, clutching his knee during the final term and stretchered off.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I just wonder, wet footy sucks sometimes, I don't know if it would work
WCE
Roar Rookie
2 jobs lol. Retired at 38. I win
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
Surely you jest.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Hi sweetheart. Don't cry, little baby.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Was at the game last night - first thing, crowd was just over 25000 but it always feels like more than that, the noise is pretty intense and definitely helped us a bit a few times in the game. I thought there was a lot of free kicks being blown, did make it a very stop start affair at times, although both sides didn’t help by also crabbing it round the sidelines at times and constantly turning it over with bad kicking. As others have said it was very humid and sweaty in there, warm night, would have been very tough for the players. Not a game that will be remembered, good to see us get the win but on that form so far we aren’t worrying anyone. Even if we click and are going well it still strikes me that a forward line of Cameron Rayner and McCarthy seems easier to nullify for long periods of the game than it should be. Daniher of course is always dangerous but yeah. If he plays well in September we will go alright. I reckon we make the 8 this year just on home advantage alone but from there who knows. Great to see footy back with a big crowd - it really felt like a breath of beer soaked sweaty fresh air at the Gabba last night
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Being from a league background I often wonder if the AFL ball could use a bit of texture on the outside of it for wet games? Maybe have two different balls and the captain's decide which to use of it's damp or wet, if dry stick with the normal ball
The Sports Lover
Roar Rookie
No doubt Brendon. I’m living in SE Qld now and I can tell you it’s been one of the most humid and sweaty seasons in over 20 years. That ball last night was like a heavy cake of slippery soap.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I'd argue Clureys size has cost us a few games, the big blokes towel him up more often than not. I see a place for him in the AFL, but more as a rebounding defender
Maxy
Roar Rookie
Pretty confident this will be Grays last year,by all accounts he had a very good pre season,did more sessions that sometimes the veterans need to do.Yeah,we just need some cameos throughout the season from the great man
BillyW
Roar Rookie
Hayes is definitely that but he is yet to play AFL and there's been comment about his ability to run out a game, it would be unfair to him and team if we didn't give him the opportunity to play games with Lycett in...hey Sam, Lycetts injured you're #1 enjoy your debut! nah how about, we think you're ready now here's your debut Scotty's got your back also.... This might sound stupid but I'd bring Clurry in for the Hawks and if he doesn't set the world on fire he, most likely, goes out for Skinner to play on Thrillthorpe and Brown, and that's only because he's taller!....I rate Clurry for his work at Port even if it's left us under sized occasionally (and being under sized in the back half hasn't cost us a mountain of games at any point really)
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
My mate who lives in Gympie said the flood prob made the ground really wet, prob part of the issue.
WCE
Roar Rookie
Yet Port will belt Gold Coast when they play them as they are a far better team. What does that make GC?
XI
Roar Guru
It's been a round filled with messy play. Lots of slipping over, miskicks and poor set shots. Also the crowds seem a fair bit lower than expected across the board, guess plenty of people are wary still
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I wouldn’t bring Hayes in, Lycett was good last night, Hayes is a big number 1 type. Alir going down was pivotal, then McKenzie, who pops up? Their opponent and kicks 3 after the injuries. Alir was clearly on one leg after that. I’d leave Finlayson in, he competed at least and George isn’t a CHF, he’s a third jumping tall and that’s where he’ll play when Charlie comes back. I’m not too unhappy, but we need Dixon back and I think Skinner to come in now
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I just can't wait for us to play GC now.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Yep was dreadful game of footy
dab
Roar Rookie
Teams have good and bad days. Port and Brisbane had a bad day. The poorest game of the round that I have watched (so far).
BillyW
Roar Rookie
"Port are just not that good this year"....hmm unlike you Thom to throw out such a lazy comment. Is this based on 2 practice games and an 11 point away loss to a side that has now won 28 of 29 at home? We were definitely on one leg by the end with the 2 obvious and then (hopefully minor) twinges of different kinds to Alir, Rozee, Georgi and Gray....didn't help But it was a very difficult game to watch.....both sides played like they didn't want to lose as opposed to wanting to win, particularly the first half and the early season rust made it even harder to watch....lions looked better when scoreboard forced them to attack. Lions were desperate to win an early game and Port desperate not to get blown away by them, once they play with a bit more freedom both sides will win plenty of games again.. Dixon is the answer to our skinny key forward issue but not our rucks. I understand the decision to go with Lycett and part time back up as the lions mobile talls usually towel us up and it would have been risky to have 2....traditional type rucks....Sam Hayes though absolutely comes in against the Hawks so we can get a gauge on whether we can make it work against all comers. (Allowing Ladhams to leave has hurt our ruck and forward setups especially in Dixons absence). Off topic- I thought this article was going to be a game analysis, alas just an incident analysis and commentator quotes...
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Joey is the epitome of a loose cannon.
The Sports Lover
Roar Rookie
I’m not ready to write off the Power after they have lost one game by 11 points in the steamy heat of a March night in Brisbane. Most judges view the Lions as a top four side so the Power must have done something right as they led with points for the majority of the match. Robbie Gray looks well past his best. I hope for the game’s sake, he is able to show us some more glimpses of his mercurial best. The Lions showed they will still be a force in 2022.