Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd has urged the club to pursue out-of-contract star Jeremy Cameron as insurance for Joe Daniher.
Also off-contract at the end of the season, Daniher has not played since Round 9 of last year due to ongoing groin injuries and remains without a return timetable as clubs returned to training on Monday.
The 26-year old made just 11 senior appearances in 2018 and 2019 and sensationally requested a trade to the Sydney Swans at the end of last season.
Lloyd revealed on Channel 9’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night that Daniher suffered another setback in the past week.
And with the injured Bomber's future up in the air, he believes 2019 Coleman medallist Cameron shapes as the ideal replacement.
“I agreed with Essendon keeping him because after Joe Daniher he’s far and away better than the next,” Lloyd told Footy Classified.
“But what it’s given Essendon, even if he doesn’t play, it gives them 12 months, if Joe wants to leave, to land a big fish.
“I think now they’ve got 12 months and they should probably be in at blokes already … Essendon should be going hard and not banking on Joe being there next year.
“(Jeremy) Cameron might be your starting point. If it’s not Jeremy Cameron, well Plan B and Plan C … That’s where you start and you work down from there.”
Lloyd saw scary potential in Daniher while working at Essendon in a mentoring role under James Hird, but admitted he must work harder to get back to full health.
“I’ve watched him and I got to do a year with ‘Hirdy’ (James Hird). He’s unstoppable, no Essendon defender could go with him in the air, at ground level – he’s got absolutely everything, he said.
“I agree with Brendon (Goddard) he’s got to work harder at times, but I’ve seen worse.”