""Cory Dell'Olio is the closest to me and he's a few doors down with No.47.""

But on Monday a lot of waiting will end.

The AFL's father-son bidding process will begin, clubs will offer theirfirst-round selection for Daniher, and Essendon will match it.

It's a formality that by the afternoon, Daniher will have officially joined theclub his father Anthony, uncles Terry, Chris and Neale, and brother Darcy allrepresented.

In some ways, Daniher expects to arrive at the club on Tuesday and feel like hehas for the last year or so as he has been settling in. ""It's like turning15, nothing really changes,"" he said.

But he does hope it ends one stage of his development and brings in another,where he can be an ""actual footballer.""

That process has already started, though. Over the past two years he has workedhard at two things: learning how to do weights while taking care of his body,and refining his running style.

""I was a bit gangly,"" he says.

Daniher now weighs about 90kg, but wants to add another 13 or 14 more.

He's seen Collingwood's Travis Cloke outmuscle opponents in attack, andCarlton's Matthew Kreuzer bullock and bustle past players when in the ruck, andwould like to gradually bring those elements to his own game.

Where most draftees have very modified pre-seasons in their first year, Daniherthinks he's ready for a full summer.

""Physically and mentally I've had about 12 months to prepare myself forit, but you can never really prepare for it,"" he says.

""I've been exposed to a weights program which will allow me to hopefullyget straight into it, but knowing my body shape, it will take time. The clubwill look after me in that respect, but I'm just hoping they let me have a realcrack at this pre-season.""

Even if they don't, the 18-year-old won't be getting frustrated. While manyview him as a possible No.1 pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft if not for thefather-son rule, Daniher doesn't think he'll be playing much for the Bombersnext season, particularly early.

""I'd love to say 'Yeah, I'll be there in round one', but realistically Ihave no doubt in my mind that I won't be there. I've got a long way to go andit's not about the next six months for me, it's about a lot more thanthat,"" he said.

""As much as I'd love to play a lot of senior footy next season, thereality is I probably won't play senior footy for a while. I'm comfortable withthat. I'm looking forward to the next two or three years and patience isn't anissue for me.

""As long as the club is winning and having success it doesn't matter forme if I'm in the twos or water boy or assistant coach or timekeeper.""

Daniher knows there are no guarantees about what happens from here, somethinghe learned early from watching Darcy's career unfold, and then end.

Darcy, now 23, was drafted to the Bombers in 2007 and played six games beforepersistent groin, hip and adductor injuries forced his retirement last year.

The pair don't talk too much about footy. ""Whenever we do it's more justhim criticising me,"" Joe says, smiling.

Joe comes into his own football career with a wider perspective of how thingscan turn out.

""It's not always the fairytale story as it can sometimes sound,"" hesays.

""He had a rough run but it turned him into a different person, I suppose.Since he chose to retire from footy it's been great for me to get to know him.We've become great mates. He's a lot happier.""

Although Daniher is free of the uncertainty gripping many of his mates at thistime of the year, he has faced some different challenges to them.

Under a program devised by Essendon, the Calder Cannons, the AIS-AFL Academyand his family at the start of the year, Daniher sat out a lot of games.

He played two for Vic Metro - including his best-on-ground showing in the finalgame of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships against Western Australia. Herepresented the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup eight times, kicking 23 goals. Hewanted to test himself in the VFL for Bendigo Gold, but Essendon decidedagainst it.

""I was pretty eager to have a crack,"" he said.

""If I had played bottom-age footy at the TAC Cup in 2011 it might havebeen different, but without a lot of footy under my belt I probably wasn'tready in terms of my body shape and fitness.

""It was probably the best thing to not play but I would have loved theopportunity to run out there and see how I went.""

It didn't get him down too much. Daniher recently returned from a two-weekholiday to Wagstaffe, a beachside town on coastal New South Wales.

While there with former Cannons teammate and Essendon rookie, Hal Hunter,Daniher tried to take his mind off footy. He found it a bit tough.

""For me the past 12-24 months has been about looking forward to the nextmonth and now it's just crept up on me,"" he said.

""To be officially part of the football club is something I've aspired todo for so long. I can't wait.""

Help Essendon in the move to their new facility by donating to the Flight Plan today.