Caroline Wilson: Watson's choice saves AFL from hard call
Joe Daniher says teammate Jobe Watson is still a role model for younger players, after the former Essendon skipper announced he would hand back his Brownlow Medal.
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Jobe Watson to hand back Brownlow
The Essendon captain will hand his 2012 Brownlow medal back to the AFL saying it was distressing to have his integrity questioned.
Watson won football's highest individual honour in 2012, the year he participated in the club's banned supplements program.
His right to keep the medal was called into question early in 2016, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport slapped him and 33 other past and current Bombers with a season-long ban.
Daniher was part of a ragtag group of listed players and ring-ins who wore red and black in in 2016 and said he was glad to have the 10 banned players who remained Bombers back training at the club.
"It's an exciting time, it's been a long time since we've had the group back together," he said.
He praised Watson, saying the 31-year-old, along with other older players including Brent Stanton, Dyson Heppell and Michael Hurley were helping to rebuild a strong culture at Essendon.
"It's never been a question of Jobe's integrity, or how he goes about being an AFL footballer and role model to the community," he said.
"To have a role model like that, to have as a resource every single day is fantastic for the younger people at the football club."
Daniher said that is had been a difficult period for Essendon, but one that the players had all learned from.
"The mindset the guys are having is just to use it as a growing tool and hopefully moving forward that helps us on field," he said.
He said enjoying football would be easier "when you've got 10 of your best mates coming back to work".