Sam Day knows he's being touted as Joe Daniher's replacement, but the Brisbane Lions recruit is looking to forge his own path.
Joining to fill the void left by the star key forward, former Gold Coast player Day isn't looking to be a carbon copy and is out to make the most of his AFL lifeline.
Daniher's shock retirement amid Brisbane's premiership celebrations opened the door for inaugural Suns player Day, who had been axed a month earlier.
"Obviously big Joey's moved on. I'll have to thank him if I can find him, I think he's gone off-grid," Day said on Monday.
"'Replace' is an interesting word. I don't know if we can ever replace Joey.
"He is a pretty special athlete and footballer and much loved around the club.
"I never knew him personally, but just the way the guys talk about him, he was such a special guy for them.
"I'm just looking forward to being my own player. Hopefully, I can come in and make the rest of the guys around me better."
Day played 155 games across 14 seasons for Gold Coast as a foundation recruit after being taken with pick No.3 at the 2010 national draft.
His 2024 campaign started brightly, with the 32-year-old kicking 10 goals in five games before a plantar fascia injury derailed his season.
Day had expressed disappointment after being blindsided by the delisting, with his departure leaving David Swallow as the last remaining inaugural Suns player.
Now two months on and starting life as a Lion, Day played a straight bat when asked if he felt any anger or resentment towards his former employers.
"I've got a lot of great mates, players and staff for the club, back there so nothing's there," Day said.
"We'll see if anything fiery comes out on the day when we play them but at the moment, just really excited to be here for the opportunity.
"I kind of felt like I was a little bit in limbo in the off-season.
"I didn't really feel like it was finished and all said and done. I didn't know if anything was going to pop up for me.
"I haven't really reflected properly. That might be something to do when I've finished my career."
Keeping fit will be top on the agenda for Day, who has been kept to 18 games in the past four years due to injury.
"I'd just like to play. I think I've been pretty good, touch wood, with my body," he added.
"We'll have to get through next year first, making sure I put every best foot forward. If I can do that, I'd absolutely love to keep playing.
"I feel like I've lost a little bit of time through injuries."
