Brisbane forward Joe Daniher tends not to listen to the outside noise.
Ever since his free agent move north to Brisbane from Essendon at the end of the 2020 season, Daniher’s performances have come under the microscope.
After reaching the peak of an All-Australian season in 2017 with the Bombers, Daniher has been solid without setting the world on fire for his new club, kicking 103 goals from 51 games.
While his form has trajected upwards in recent weeks, Daniher was criticised for his start to the 2023 season as he had kicked four goals from the opening three rounds, but the big Lion says external criticism isn’t something he listens to.
“It's not something I take a whole lot in,” Daniher said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World in response to whether he listens to the outside noise.
“We've got a fantastic group of coaches and have a very mature playing list at the moment.
“We know what we expect of each other, we can work it out and the feedback is pretty clear and concise within our four walls.
“That pretty much takes up most of my time and the season rolls around pretty quickly.
“As I mentioned, we are past a third of the way through already.
“So, if you get bogged down in that too much, the year can pass you by pretty quickly.
“I intend to move on and listen to the feedback of the coaches and players and try and put my best foot forward that way.”
After playing his first nine seasons with Essendon, Daniher was asked whether he has a better balance between his footy and outside life up north.
“It's certainly been a change,” Daniher replied.
“I really enjoyed my time in Melbourne and I'm enjoying my time in Brisbane.
“Something I have noticed about the footballing culture in Brisbane is that it just continues to grow year on year.
“I think that's showing in junior football numbers and that's showing in the support that we're getting at the Gabba.
“It is an exciting time to be in the AFL in Brisbane because there is certainly a growing respect for the game, a growing interest in the game and hopefully that’s paying off in kids wanting to play the game and wanting to support the Lions.”
After starting the season 1-2, the Lions have since won five straight to have them sitting fourth through eight rounds.
Daniher says he’d like his form to become more consistent as the Lions hope to attack the challenge of the season week by week.
“We've had a reasonable start, not perfect, but like a lot of teams, the challenge of the competition is real and every week presents a new challenge,” Daniher said.
“I’ve been a little bit up and down, I'd like to have a bit more consistent form and be a little bit more predictable week in week out.
“That's always what we're tracing as athletes and as I mentioned, it is the early part of the year, so hopefully that continues to grow.
“By the back end and the serious stuff, I'm in a little bit better shape than I'm in.
“I'm just incredibly grateful to be a part of a front six who are a pretty reasonable set of players, a mature group.
“We're very lucky to have a mature forward line and I think we do support each other pretty well to get the best out of each other.
“That's something I'm enjoying at the moment.”
Daniher and Brisbane’s next challenge comes against his former side in Essendon when the sides face off at the Gabba on Saturday night.