BRISBANE premiership forward Joe Daniher has retired from the AFL with one year left to run on his contract.
The 30-year-old told teammates of his decision amid their flag celebrations, following last Saturday's 60-point thumping of Sydney in the Grand Final.
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Speculation had swirled about Daniher weighing up his playing future since the eve of the season decider.
Daniher had remained tight-lipped in the days following his influential performance in the Lions' victory, where he kicked 2.4 from 16 disposals.
"I retire knowing I gave my absolute all to the Brisbane Lions and Essendon, and I am extremely proud of what I achieved individually and as a team," Daniher said.
"I am tremendously grateful for the opportunities given to me by both Brisbane and Essendon and I want to thank both clubs and their incredible fans for their support.
"It's been an incredible journey here at the Brisbane Lions to go from a club that was really struggling at the bottom of the ladder to winning a premiership.
"As I finish up my career, I do so with the club in a great position on and off the field and I can’t wait to see the Brisbane Lions experience more success in the future.
"I am beyond excited by the squad we have at the Lions and especially the young talent we have coming through that are the future stars of this club.
"I want to thank everyone that has played a part in my AFL career and helping me become the player and person I am today."
Daniher played 96 games for Brisbane after joining the club for the 2021 season.
He played 108 games in eight seasons at Essendon, having been drafted under the father-son rule.
His father Anthony Daniher played 118 games with the Bombers and 115 with the Swans.
Daniher enjoyed a stellar individual finals series as the Lions won four straight games to become only the second team to win the flag from outside the top four under the current finals system.
The key forward kicked eight goals in four cut-throat finals and stepped up in the ruck when Oscar McInerney was injured in the preliminary final.
"Joe is a generational type of player that will go down as one of the best forwards to have played AFL," Brisbane general manager football Danny Daly said.
"We are extremely privileged that he played for the Brisbane Lions because he was a huge key to us experiencing the success we have and winning the premiership.
"What I love about Joey is that he has done it his way his whole career and in doing so has become a much-loved cult figure of our club and the AFL.
"We are sad to see him hang up the boots and call time on his career, but he does so with the full blessing of everyone at the Brisbane Lions.
"On behalf of the club I would like to thank Joe, his wonderful wife Adele and their families for all they have given to the Brisbane Lions and wish them all the best."
Daniher's retirement ensures a remarkable AFL streak will continue; no premiership team has ever played together again in its entirety after their Grand Final victory.
Daniher joins the likes of Joel Selwood, Shane Crawford, Damien Hardwick, Marcus Ashcroft and Cameron Ling as players whose last AFL game was a winning Grand Final.
