Joe Daniher announces AFL retirement after Brisbane Lions grand final win

Brisbane forward Joe Daniher has announced his retirement from the AFL, just days after helping the Lions win the grand final.

Daniher called time on his career on Thursday, less than a week after lifting the AFL premiership cup for the first time. 

The 30-year-old played 204 AFL matches for Essendon and Brisbane, after making his debut in 2013 for the Bombers.

He played 108 matches for the Bombers before making the move to Brisbane at the end of the 2020 season.

Daniher kicked 395 goals in his career, including two majors in last Saturday’s 60-point win over the Sydney Swans in the grand final. 

His final significant involvement in AFL footy was kicking the Lions’ last goal late in the fourth quarter of the grand final, then running with his arms out-stretched in front of delirious Brisbane fans celebrating the end of a 21-year premiership drought.

Daniher still had one more season left on his contract with the Lions, but made the decision to call time on his career ahead of the club’s annual awards ceremony, being held on Thursday evening. 

As a Bomber, selected in the 2012 draft as part of a league’s father-son rule, Daniher was named an All-Australian in 2017 while being the team’s spearhead. 

He joined the Lions for the 2021 season, after the club had fallen short in the previous season’s preliminary final.

As a Lion, Daniher was a constant presence in the forward line over four seasons.

But his versatility as a player was on display in the grand final win against Sydney, spending plenty of time in the ruck to cover for the injured Oscar McInerney.