Twenty minutes into the second quarter of Essendon’s round 14 clash with Richmond, Kalan Huntly seized his chance.

The debutant from Castlemaine was turning a trick up forward with the Bombers clawing their way back after a slow start at Windy Hill.

When Josh Green pushed his way goalward from the deepest part of the pocket with ball in hand, Huntly charged into the square, received the quick handball and slammed through his first goal in Essendon colours to cut the deficit to 22 points.

A special moment for any player, to be sure. But for the 21-year-old, that goal hit closer to home than the average punter could have realised.

In January of this year, Huntly signed to the Bombers and was able to tell his terminally ill grandmother that he had achieved his dream of becoming a VFL player.

“It was quite touching. She said, ‘The first goal you kick is for me,’” remembers Huntly.

“I got to tell her that after I signed and then a few days later she passed.”

With a 24-strong support crew – “I’ve got very proud parents, so they put it on Facebook” – of friends, family and workmates who had made the trip from Castlemaine and his grandmother close to his heart, Huntly made the opportunity to kick that goal count.

The Bombers were overrun by the ladder-leading Tigers and finished the match 32 points in arrears. Nonetheless, Huntly finished with seven touches and two marks on top of the goal and was able to reflect on a promising maiden match as well as the long and hard journey it had taken to get him there.

“I was nervous as hell,” he admitted with a laugh.

“I was just chomping at the bit before the game. As soon as I got my first touch, I felt the nerves settle.

“It was an awesome challenge. They’re a rough, quick side,” he said of beginning his VFL career against the in-form Richmond.

“Pato (midfield coach Ben Patrick) has been working with me on my midfield craft and there’s been a lot of fitness work.

“It’s a massive jump but I feel like I’ve got the skill and the talent to do it. From here, it’s going to be about finding the role and implementing that.”

After suffering a disappointing loss to Werribee last week, the Bombers will look to bounce back against Collingwood at Windy Hill from 11am on Saturday.