Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan put it best. “Suddenly, it’s let’s pick on Joey Daniher week!” he said at his weekly press conference, ahead of the Easter Thursday game against a flying Collingwood.
Fagan wasn’t wrong. Since Daniher sprayed a wasteful 0.4 against the Bulldogs last Thursday night, a host of ex-players – many of them former key forwards – have lined up to have a crack at the 2017 All-Australian: Matthew Lloyd, Jonathan Brown and Jason Dunstall among them.
Brisbane Lions forward Joe Daniher.Credit:AFL Photos
Fagan pointed out that the Lions spearhead kicked an equal game-high four goals the week before against Melbourne. For teammates and spectators alike, watching Daniher is a rollercoaster: Charlie Cameron was one to openly express his displeasure on field last week.
But Daniher’s unpredictability to his teammates, and Cameron’s reaction, are both symptoms of a bigger truth: the Lions’ forward line, once one of the AFL’s most potent attacking units, has become dysfunctional.
Fagan said as much. “He’s not the only one up there; we need our other tall forwards to be playing a little bit better, and our forward line in general wasn’t at its best last week, albeit the Dogs defended really well,” he said.
“We tend to jump on his back pretty quickly; we’re much slower to pat him on the back when he plays well.”
That threw the spotlight on to two players: Eric Hipwood, who has kicked two goals from 17 possessions in three games, and the role previously played by Daniel McStay, who will line up for Collingwood on Thursday night.
McStay’s raw statistics suggest he was the least potent of the Lions’ earlier three-pronged tall set-up: his best return as a forward is 28 goals in 2021. But he had the best pair of hands, made more contests, and created more opportunities for Cameron and Lincoln McCarthy.
Triple premiership Lions player Simon Black noted how few traditional goals Daniher was kicking as a key forward: from marks inside 50 taken either on the lead or overhead. “A lot of his goals are in general play,” he said.
“As a key forward, you want to know what you’re going to get. You need to be able to crash a pack to get the ball to ground for your small forwards. I’d like to see him take more marks inside forward 50 through leading at the ball. Taking a pack mark is the cream on top.”
Instead, Black said Daniher “has got a desperate air about him at times” that was reflected in his erratic on-field decision-making. “Compare him to Tom Hawkins, just that selfless approach to bringing others into the game,” Black said.
But Black also turned the spotlight on Cameron and McCarthy. McCarthy, who has kicked 71 goals in the last two seasons, has scrounged two from the first three rounds. “I’m seeing small forwards flying for the ball, when there’s not enough representation at ground level.
“Percentage-wise, they’re not going to mark it too regularly. They’ve got some supremely talented guys up there, there’s no doubt about that, but getting the balance right up there is not about Joe Daniher. It’s the forward line as a whole.”
Of course, if Daniher and Hipwood were making more contests and bringing the ball to ground more often, McCarthy (who is, to be fair, very good overhead) and Cameron might be more inclined to keep their feet – and maintain their composure.
Cameron’s body language towards Daniher against the Bulldogs, in particular, was a bad sign for Black. “When you’ve got Charlie waving his arms in the air and abusing teammates, that’s not a good look. Frustration’s natural, but there’s a bit of disconnection there.”
If small forwards are flying for the ball, they’re also less able to lock the ball in to their half when the team loses possession. But that responsibility to defend also depends in part on the ability of Daniher and Hipwood to bring the ball to ground, if not mark it in the first place.
Fagan agreed he was unhappy with the competitive efforts of both his tall forwards against the Bulldogs, both when the ball was directed to them and at ground level. “We’ve talked about that with our preparation for the game this week,” he said.
“I was happy with them against Melbourne, but last week we were a little bit down in that area. The stats will tell you this season that we haven’t been very good when the ball hits the ground in our forward line.
“We were good against Melbourne, until the lights went out, but the other two games we haven’t been, and that’s certainly been a focus of ours. It hasn’t been a weakness in the past, so we’re just looking to get back to our competitive best in those situations.”
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