Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has revealed that Joe Daniher has snubbed the idea of an AFL return, after the premiership coach recently reached out to the 31-year-old.
The Demons were reported earlier in the week to be trying to lure the champion key forward out of retirement, after he shockingly called it quits at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Daniher called time on his 204-game career following a breakthrough premiership with the Brisbane Lions, where he spearheaded an attack that helped the Lions become just the second team in the modern era to win a flag from outside the top four.
The Demons were hopeful Daniher would return to perform a similar role for them in their struggling forward line, but it appears they will have to look at other options heading into 2026.
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“I might’ve sent him a cheeky text message just to check in with big Joe,” Goodwin told AFL 360 on Wednesday night.
“I just sent him a message just to check to make sure he was enjoying retirement as much as I thought he would, and the answer was pretty clear he is enjoying it. So it was pretty short-lived.
“We’re going to leave no stone unturned in how we go about getting better.
“Joe was a sneaky text, but he laughed it off pretty quick.”
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Goodwin has a previous relationship with Daniher, having coached him in his early days at Essendon where he served as an assistant.
Now as coach of Melbourne, Goodwin has been looking for ways to reinvent his forward line, with the Demons being one of the most inefficient teams in terms of goals per inside-50.
Melbourne’s issues in front of goal have haunted the team in previous years, and is part of the reason the club is already out of the finals race in 2025, currently sitting in 13th with just six wins to their name.