Credit: Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size At the close of the 1977 AFL season, in what was then a Victorian-only competition, a young key forward called Terry Daniher was traded to Essendon by South Melbourne. Unbeknownst to both clubs, the trading of Daniher, a farm boy from Ungarie in NSW's Riverina, after 19 games for the Swans, would transform the histories of both clubs, the impact reverberating for more than three decades. Now, as Terry's gifted nephew Joe Daniher seeks a trade to Sydney – the club that South Melbourne became in 1982 – the Daniher story can complete a circle, from the red and whites to the red and blacks and back again. The Daniher brothers in 1990: (from left) Neale, Chris, Anthony and Terry. Credit:Michele Mossop What is the Daniher dynasty? Essendon have prospered greatly from the Daniher dynasty, the progeny of Jim and Edna Daniher. When South Melbourne traded Terry back in '77, they threw in his talented younger brother Neale, as if he were a pair of steak knives, despite Neale's schoolboy feats for Assumption College. Such was the Swans' ardour for Essendon's centreman Neville Fields that they ended up forfeiting an entire clan to Essendon.


Terry, whose laconic Riverina drawl belied his ferocious warrior qualities, would captain Essendon to back-to-back premierships in 1984-85. Neale, a brilliant footballer on the cusp of champion stature, would be cut down by repeat knee injuries, having actually preceded Terry as skipper at Essendon in 1982, when he didn't play a game. In time, their younger brothers, Anthony and Chris, would join them at Essendon, but only after Anthony had played more than 100 games for the Swans. One historic day in 1990, the four brothers played together in the same Essendon team against St Kilda – making them the game's answer to the Marx brothers. Neale, who had studied theology at university, would coach Melbourne for almost 10 years and subsequently become the face of the fight against motor neurone disease, from which he suffers. Edna and the late Jim had 11 children but "only'' four played AFL football. Of those four, it would be the affable Anthony who would sire the next generation of footballers. His son Darcy was recruited to Essendon and managed half a dozen games. But Darcy's taller, athletic younger brother Joe was a prize, who, as with Darcy, was eligible to join either Essendon or Sydney under the father-son rule (Anthony having played 100 games for both clubs). After lucrative deals were offered by both clubs, Joe predictably chose to stay in Melbourne and don the red-and-black sash, as his father, three uncles and brother had. By seeking a trade back to his father's other club, Joe is changing the football landscape again. His trade to the Swans – if it happens – shapes as the story of the post-season. Daniher at the Crichton Medal ceremony. Credit:AAP


Why is Daniher wanting a trade to Sydney? The two-metre-tall goalkicker does not fade into a crowd easily and, in football-obsessed Melbourne, he doesn't stand a chance. As someone bearing the messianic burden of being a key forward and carrying the Daniher name, he wanted some breathing space. Loading The 25-year-old also has a broad social palate, eschewing the football stereotype in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill where the beer label Noble Boy, which he invested in with Hawthorn's Ben Stratton and ex-Hawk Sam Grimley, can be found on tap. Media-averse when talking football, Daniher is engaging on any other topic and, as one of football's amiable souls, he should enjoy the greater anonymity of Sydney. When Daniher informed Essendon of the trade he did not suggest there was anything remiss about the club's environment that led to his decision. Rather he was seeking a lifestyle outside Melbourne's football bubble that would allow him to play AFL, but remain under the radar in everyday life. Essendon asked him directly whether the management of his groins had been a factor but Daniher said that wasn't the case. Furthermore the uncertainty that surrounded John Worsfold's tenure as senior coach was resolved post-season when assistant coach Ben Rutten was appointed as his successor from 2021 onwards.


How will the deal get done? Essendon and Sydney will have conversations over the coming days but the Bombers are finding it hard to imagine how the Swans will satisfy their needs, with draft picks not necessarily enough given Essendon believes they are on the verge of contending. If past dealings are a guide – clubs usually begin some distance apart, with ambit claims – Sydney will likely initially offer pick five and little else, if anything. Essendon will want pick five and another high pick, most likely the Carlton choice, pick nine, that is expected to be on offer for Tom Papley (whom the Swans don't want to trade). While it is possible the Swans will offer a player, in addition to pick five, a top 10 pick is more valuable than the vast majority of players Sydney would be willing to give up. If the Bombers need a suitable player to be part of the trade they suspect that Daniher's management company TLA, which has a huge stable of players, could prove helpful in that regard. TLA can involve other clubs' players. The Swans could also take Carlton's pick nine and "split it'' – as St Kilda is trying to do with their pick six – into two later selections, giving the earlier pick to the Bombers and retaining the other. Essendon, for instance, could gain pick five and another just inside 20 from this type of three-way trading. The Swans, however, will be keen to hang on to pick nine if they do decide to trade Papley to secure the top-end pick from the Blues.


How did Essendon, Sydney and Daniher get to this point? After playing in the JLT Community Series, a groin injury kept Daniher sidelined until round five when he made a dramatic return as a late inclusion against North Melbourne on Good Friday. The Bombers even paid a $20,000 fine so he could play despite not being named as an emergency. He was outstanding six days later when he kicked four goals against Collingwood on Anzac Day with the Bombers falling just short. However, after round eight against Geelong, he reported soreness and by round 10 his season had ended as the club decided he required surgery to fix his groin. Joe Daniher in round 6 against the Magpies in April. Credit:AAP Matters took a dramatic turn in August when The Age reported a secret meeting in Sydney between Swans' CEO Tom Harley and Daniher at Harley's house in Balmain and speculated that the 25-year-old might be considering a move north. The Swans confirmed the meeting had taken place but shot down any talk of a trade saying the meeting had been "just two friends catching up" with Daniher getting to know Harley during his year with the AFL-AIS Academy in 2011 before he was drafted. Daniher met his Sydney-based surgeon the day after catching up with Harley as talk swirled within football that the Swans were definitely interested in him – he was to become a free agent the following season. Harley went on radio to squash the speculation saying, "We’ve been mates for a while and he was picking my brains about all sorts of things. He’s with the Bombers and I’d expect him to be with the Bombers for a long time." Few believed Harley's protestations, since it is highly unusual for a star player to meet an opposition club's CEO in private without a professional agenda. Since then there has been a sense Daniher could be traded north although no one – including him – was prepared to say so, with his father Anthony even reportedly telling a past players' function that his son would remain at Essendon in 2020.


On Thursday, however Daniher broke the news to the Bombers, confirming their suspicions, which were heightened when the player parked the club's attempts to broker a contract extension with him beyond 2020. What is Daniher worth? The Swans, at the bare minimum, would be expected to cough up their first draft choice, pick five, for Daniher. The question is what else would be required, given that Daniher is contracted for next year. The rarity of key forwards makes Daniher worth more than one pick but this must be offset by his injuries and the reality that, if he left next year as a restricted free agent, Essendon would gain only one first-round choice, the pick immediately after their own choice, which is dependent on where they finish on the ladder (for example, pick 13 if they finish with pick 12) under the compensation system for free agency. Sydney would also get Daniher for nothing if they waited for him to become a free agent as Richmond did when they recruited Tom Lynch from the Gold Coast. As Daniher - like Lynch - would be a restricted free agent at the end of 2020 this outcome would be dependent on Essendon not matching the Swans' offer, an option open to the Bombers if they wanted to force a trade. Essendon's argument would be buttressed by the contract that the Swans offer – if he's been offered around a million dollars, over four years or more – the Dons will likely say he's worth two picks inside 10, hoping to gain that second choice from a Papley deal with Carlton, or pick 5 and a suitable player. Conversely, many pundits would say picks five and nine is excessive, unless Essendon are giving a decent draft pick back to the Swans. On SEN on October 4, Garry Lyon suggested that Daniher was worth pick five plus another one in the late first round or early second round – which sounds about right, all things considered. The medical verdict on Daniher's groin is a major consideration in determining his value, though, as the club that is prising him out, the Swans, have to come up with a trade. Essendon can simply hold Joe to his contract, risking a worse outcome next year. Joe Daniher in action during round 5 against North Melbourne. Credit:AAP How big an issue is his groin? Daniher's groin injury adds a significant element of risk to the deal for Sydney. Daniher has played just 11 games in two seasons due to the troublesome groin, seeing specialist after specialist before eventually being sent to Sydney for an adductor release to treat his osteitis pubis. A powerful athlete who relies on his leap, long kicking and acceleration, the ongoing injury is a concern – but by no means irretrievable with the Swans confident they can get on top of the issue. Daniher's priority in the past few months has been getting his body right. When Daniher told the Bombers he wanted to be traded he was adamant he had no concerns with the way his injury was managed. Daniher takes the ball during the round nine against the Fremantle Dockers in May. Credit:AAP What do Essendon stand to gain and lose? Essendon would lose the the cornerstone of their forward line, which also could be without speedster Orazio Fantasia, who is likely to seek a trade to Port Adelaide. They would lose potency in attack in the short-term, and their prospects of winning a premiership in 2020 would arguably be reduced. But they would also gain a far better hand in the national draft, having relinquished their 2019 first-round pick to Greater Western Sydney when they acquired Dylan Shiel last year. The other benefit would be the money saved in the club's salary cap, which would give Essendon the opportunity to recruit other players, either as free agents or in trades – potentially opening up room for a tilt at free agents in 2020 or thereafter. The more optimistic view of Essendon's position is that Daniher has hardly played over the past two seasons and that they stand to gain plenty in return for a player who hasn't produced much, due to his injuries. Terry Daniher in training with the Swans in 1976. Credit:The Age What would getting Daniher mean for Sydney? He is a goalkicking matchwinner who fulfils the Swans' need to have both a drawcard and a successor to "Buddy" Franklin, who still has three years remaining on his gargantuan contract. Daniher might be equal, or even superior to Franklin on the field in the next few seasons, but he will not carry the same profile as the 32-year-old superstar, allowing him to settle in the shadows somewhat. The only question on Daniher is his fitness because, when he is right, he is mobile, high-flying and plays the game with unbridled joy. Sydney would also get the famous Daniher name back in a Swans' jumper a generation after the fateful decision to clear Joe's uncles, made way back in 1977. Joe and Neale Daniher share a laugh in 2018. Credit:Joe Armao