JAMES Hird has played down Saturday's pressure-relieving win over Melbourne, instead talking up match-winner Joe Daniher as the soon-to-be best set shot in the AFL.
The Bombers put a challenging week, in which they were humiliated by St Kilda by 110 points and lost Jobe Watson (shoulder) for the season, behind them with a gutsy nine-point triumph over the Dees at the MCG.
Daniher shone like a beacon in an inexperienced team, booting 5.0 – all from set shots – as the Dons arrested their five-game losing streak and improved to 5-9 for the season.
Click here for full match coverage and stats
Leading into the match, the 21-year-old had sprayed his shots for a return of 1.8 in the past four games, but he relished the added responsibility of lifting the Bombers to an upset win in the wet.
Despite putting a snap shot out on the full in the first term, Daniher (13 disposals, six marks) grew in confidence as the game wore on.
The 201cm spearhead, who has been working closely with Bombers champion Matthew Lloyd, produced a match-winning third term - bagging three goals and taking Dees backman Tom McDonald to the cleaners.
"Joey was terrific with his marking and his positioning and just his hard work off the contest. He didn't start great. We had to re-align him a little bit and get him back on," Hird said post-match.
"Joe will have weeks where he'll kick poorly and weeks where he kicks well probably over the next 18 months. But he's working so hard on his goalkicking.
"I'm confident within 18 months he'll be the best set shot in the competition because of the way he works on his game. We know he can mark the ball, we know he can compete, we know he's going to get enough opportunities."
WATCH: James Hird's full post-match media conference
Hird was proud of how young leaders such as stand-in skipper Dyson Heppell (19 disposals, one goal), Zach Merrett (21) and Daniher led the inexperienced outfit, with 12 Bombers having less than 40 games under their belts.
Key defender Michael Hurley (24 disposals) also pushed his All Australian claims by dominating Jesse Hogan, while veterans Brent Stanton (30) and Brendon Goddard (29) were particularly influential.
"Let's not get carried away with the game, it was a nine-point win, Melbourne aren't travelling great, we're not travelling great," Hird said.
"We didn't beat the best team in the competition, we're not shooting for premiership glory this year.
"But what the players did today in Joe, Zach Merrett and Dyson Heppell is say 'This is our opportunity to form the team we want', and they should be very proud of themselves by the way they did that."
The Dons held an honesty session behind closed doors on Tuesday with players and coaches, which Hird said helped clear the air after a challenging week and re-focus the club on football.
"It's not life and death, it's still a game and it's still your job and we still treat it as that," he said.
Hird said he would be "hesitant" to play Alex Browne next week after he was subbed off in the second quarter with concussion.
Browne hit his head on the ground in a heavy tackle by Jeremy Howe, cutting short his first game since round 23, 2012 following a knee reconstruction.
