Matt Hanson was hotly pursued by Werribee Tigers for more than a year before taking a leap of faith and joining the VFL club.
The young Tasmanian declined the Tigers’ first invitation after his under-18 year but knew in the back of his mind he would eventually cross Bass Strait to chase a football career.
Persistent Tigers’ coach John Lamont and operations manager Stuart Balloch landed their man 12 months later, and the union was well worth the wait.
Hanson came on the radar of the Tigers after impressing with the Tassie Mariners in the TAC Cup. He took his game up another notch last season with the Western Storm in the Tasmanian State Football League.
His year with the Storm convinced him that he was ready to move states and ensured he would hit the ground running in pre-season.
“I was pretty consistent there last year so luckily they [Tigers] got in contact with me again,” Hanson told Star Weekly.
The 20-year-old worked hard in the off-season, getting fit and taking on board the critiques of coaches so that, come round one, his name was in the seniors’ line-up. While it took time for Hanson to adapt, he seems to have done that quicker than most.
“Training is a lot more professional; there’s a lot more time put in, a lot more coaching staff to help you at training,” he said. “There’s a lot more intensity in games; it’s just way harder.”
Hanson has been a revelation for the Tigers on the field. An integral part of the onball brigade, he is thriving as one of its inside midfielders. The two-way operator is also one of the hardest tacklers in the team.
“I love tackling,” he said. “It’s one of the things I pride myself on. My contested ball would be my strength, and defensive pressure as well.”
Hanson wants to follow in the footsteps of North Melbourne cult hero Ben Brown, who crossed from Tasmania seeking a chance at Werribee and landed on North Melbourne’s AFL list.
Hanson knows he still has work to do to get his name into the recruiters’ notebooks. He needs to fine-tune his kicking efficiency. Getting the ball is certainly no issue, as he is one of the leading kicks in the competition, named in the Tigers’ best eight times in the first 10 games before the break.
Hanson has relished the chance to work under Lamont. “He’s taught me the ins and outs of my role and I’m getting used to it now. He finds that one-to-one time with every player.”
Long term, he wants to try to get the most out of his ability and “play at the highest level I possibly can”. A stepping stone to the big league might come from his inclusion in the 2015 VFL Academy along with Tigers teammates Brody Mihocek, Daniel Davie, Joe Maishman and Mitch Van Den Berg.
Meanwhile, Werribee moved back into the top four with a 58-point thrashing of Coburg at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday.
Ben Brown returned to the Tigers’ line-up to boot four goals, while defender Jake Wilson was named best in his 50th game.
The Tigers will play the second of four consecutive home games against Geelong Cats at midday on Saturday.
