Sydney weren't serious about landing Joe Daniher. If they were, they would have offered their first selection in the draft, pick five, as part of the trade.

Carlton and the Swans did not meet their objectives as a consequence of the failed Daniher trade, which saw the 2019 trade period end in a kind of untidy chaos, as Daniher, Tom Papley and Gold Coast's Jack Martin were all left at the altar.

Staying put: Joe Daniher's trade request failed. Credit:Eddie Jim

Some within the football universe will blame a recalcitrant Essendon for not accepting what the Swans offered for a player with dodgy groins. They shouldn't. Joe Daniher is stuck at Tullamarine, like a passenger who missed his flight, largely because the Swans did not value him as highly as Essendon.

Sydney's best offer for Daniher was pick nine and their future first-round selection, with no picks coming back. This was never going to sate the Bombers, who had made it plain from the moment Daniher asked for a trade that they wanted a very good player – not draft picks – to form the backbone of the trade.