It was a surreal week for Daniel Hanna.

The 18-year-old Acceleration Group made his VFL debut for Essendon in the Bombers’ clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round 19.

The rangy key-position player, who has been a part of the Calder Cannons’ program in the TAC Cup further to his JHA commitments for the past four years, was given the news that he would play at VFL level early in the week leading up to the match.

“It was a bit of a daunting experience at the start because I’ve never played against men, and pretty good players at that,” Hanna admitted. 

Helping Hanna’s warp-speed transition into the VFL side was his relationship with JHA coach and VFL captain Heath Hocking.

“Buddha (Hocking) helped me out a lot,” he said.

“He got me to know all the boys and that got my confidence up.”

Hocking was with his protégé all the way, right up until he presented the newest VFL Bomber with his guernsey in front of the team before the match.

“It’s been really good that I’ve got to know him so much this year,” he said of Hocking.

“I’ve really gotten to know him well as a person and a player, so I was really happy to play alongside him.”

The slippery conditions challenged Hanna’s ground-level poise as much as the classic debutant nerves, but the football brain and skill came to the fore once the newcomer had found his feet.

“First five or ten minutes, I was a bit hesitant to get in the contest but after I got a couple of marks and a couple of touches, I got the hang of it which was really good.”

Hanna played as a key defender and won an impressive 21 touches – the fifth-most for Essendon and the eighth most of any player.

“It was also good to play with Harts (AFL Bomber Michael Hartley) and Zerk (AFL Bomber Brandon Zerk-Thatcher). They were both communicating with me from the back and telling me to get back on to my man, so it was really helpful to have the senior boys helping me.”

The JHA’s weekly training sessions proved an asset as Hanna adjusted to his new surroundings with match day simulation in particular helping him make the leap from TAC Cup to VFL.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on skills under pressure, which is probably really prevalent in VFL. At TAC [Cup level], you’ve got a bit more time to adjust with movement, whereas at VFL you don’t really have time. You’ve just got to hit your targets and use the ball as well as you can under the pump.”

Although the Bombers fell by 28 points to a strong Geelong side, Hanna received a nod of approval from coach Dan Jordan following the match.

“He played on some quality opponents and didn’t look out of place. A couple of the grabs he took were really important for us in terms of being one on ones when we were outnumbered at ground level,” Jordan said.

It’s a sentiment Hanna has taken on board. Wherever he plays next, the experience of holding his own at VFL level will give him another weapon in his growing arsenal.

“I’m confident to take that back to TAC or take that back to VFL if I do again I’m happy to have had this learning experience and it’ll make me a better player.”