THE GRAVITY of Joe Daniher's alarming fall from grace was put into focus under the Etihad Stadium roof on Sunday. 

Daniher's Essendon teammates targeted him only twice inside 50 in their latest loss to Melbourne, his lowest in a match since round 22, 2015.

Recruit Jake Stringer (11 targets) and Jayden Laverde and Jackson Merrett (three each) all received more love.

That meagre number equated to just 7.4 per cent of the Bombers' inside 50 targets, compared to a whopping 35 per cent in the corresponding clash with the Demons in round six last year.

Daniher's 3.67 inside 50 targets per game this season are lower than even his debut 2013 campaign (4.6), after averaging more than six the past three years.

They plunged again since Cale Hooker shifted back into defence full-time in round four, and the drop-off comes despite no obvious change in his role or Essendon's playing style from 2017.

Daniher's one-on-one targets of 4.3 per match is higher than the past two seasons, but his win rate has plummeted from 40 per cent last year to just 31 per cent.

His percentage of involvements leading to a score and percentage of scores involved in have also both slipped significantly. 

Melbourne great Garry Lyon suggested on SEN's breakfast program on Monday that the Bombers were "taking the option not to kick to him". 

"I don't reckon (Demons defender) Oscar (McDonald) had too many nervous moments with Joe, because Joe didn't get to the dangerous positions," Lyon said. 

"So it's (a lack of) work-rate, intent and game knowledge." 

Daniher's best and worst was on display that day in 2017 when he was such a prime target in the Bombers' attack.

He took four contested marks among 13 overall, but blighted his performance with a 1.6 return and put two other shots out on the full.

Daniher was an All Australian for the first time by season's end, and only Lance Franklin and Josh Kennedy kicked more than his 65 goals.

But his paltry 0.3 weekend effort was his second goalless game for the year and leaves him with seven majors from six matches – and outside the competition's top 40.

Champion Data's relative ratings, which reflect a player's performance based on age and position, have him at minus-35 per cent in 2018, as opposed to being plus-44 per cent the past two seasons.

Daniher isn't faring well against fellow 24-year-old key forwards, with teammate James Stewart (+2.4%), Mitch McGovern (-1.3%) and Tim O'Brien (-19%) all out-performing him. 

Damningly, he is also rated below average in pressure acts. 

Daniher's goalkicking is almost as bad as ever, too, slumping to a five-year low of 30.4 per cent. 

His tally comprises seven goals, nine behinds and seven complete misses, after being no worse than 45.2 per cent in the previous four years and peaking at 56 per cent in 2017.

Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall has called for the 201cm giant to overhaul his routine as he resorts to kicks around the body on otherwise standard shots at goal.

Either way, Daniher clearly has work to do to regain his peers' faith.

GWS struggling in land of the giants

Greater Western Sydney's four hit-outs against Brisbane at Spotless Stadium on Saturday were the lowest since Champion Data began recording the statistic in 1999.

The Giants continue to battle in the ruck since Shane Mumford's injury-enforced retirement last year, particularly with Rory Lobb's knee problem sidelining him for the past three rounds. 

They instead used a combination of Adam Tomlinson (three hit-outs) and Jon Patton (one) against Lions Stefan Martin (38) and Oscar McInerney (nine), who was on debut. 

But GWS will argue it still won the clearances, 31-28, and the match, by 34 points.

Scoring trending the wrong way

Three consecutive rounds of low scoring have left the 2018 season significantly trailing the past two years for offensive power.

The average combined score through 54 games this season is 169 points, down from 186 in 2017 and 185 in 2016. 

Only Fremantle (73 points to 83), Hawthorn (84 to 97), Richmond (91 to 105) and (West Coast 87 to 101) have increased their offensive output from last year.