Texts with Joe Daniher while he holidays in Portugal and Spain have left Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan in no doubt the mercurial forward will never "play footy again".
Fagan laughed off the prospect of a comeback from the notoriously private premiership star on Friday after the 31-year-old had been linked with Sydney.
"I'm nearly 100 per cent sure, 99.99 per cent sure," Fagan said ahead of the Lions' Gabba clash with Port Adelaide on Saturday.
Daniher was brilliant in the Lions' run to the flag last season and then, with an eye to business interests outside of football, retired with a year still to run on his contract.
"Joe is enjoying life at the moment and the other thing I'd be confident with is if he did, he would play with us," Fagan said.
"I've been texting him a little bit while he's been in Portugal and Spain, enjoying life, so I don't think he'd be in great nick right now.
"I'd be very, very surprised if Joey ever plays footy again."
A refreshed Fagan was in good nick himself after the side's bye, the Lions (10-4-1) sitting second after a drought-breaking win in Geelong a fortnight ago.
They've lost just two games away from the Gabba since last season's mid-year bye - both by less than a goal - when Fagan told the team "if you're on thin ice, you may as well dance".
That message helped propel them from 13th to the flag and the coach has gone back to the well as they plot a rare title defence.
"We've got one, but I'm not going to tell you what it is," he said of his latest catchphrase.
"I don't want the world to know ... I might let you know if it works, down the track."
The theme centres on the side's Gabba form though, the Lions' 4-3 season record at odds with years of home-ground dominance.
Unbeaten at home in 2023, they lost their first three games last season before improving the record to 8-4.
"We've been a very good team on the road and we haven't been a very good team at the Gabba," Fagan said.
"(This week's been about) a bit of the why, but mostly what are we going to do about it.
"It's pretty important when teams come here teams feel really uncomfortable."
The Power (7-8) are 10th, two wins outside a crowded top eight.
"You can have a loss and tumble three or four spots," Fagan said.
"We shouldn't feel comfortable ... and we play a team this weekend that's still a live chance to play finals, sort of where we were at the same stage last year.
"They'll be coming in all fired up, thinking they're a chance because of the way we've played at the Gabba."
Darcy Fort will ruck on Saturday and fit-again Oscar McInerney will be rested after playing two VFL games, Fagan mindful of a five-day break before the Lions play Carlton in Melbourne next Thursday.