Hanley was 20 years-old at the time, and most of his Lions teammates of the same age had probably already spent a dozen years sharpening their skills in the junior ranks.
But he’s proven a quick learner, and is now regarded as one of the team’s most important players.
Hanley has secured top five finishes in each of the past two Merrett-Murray Medal vote counts, and seems to have taken his game to another level in 2013.
He averages over 24 disposals and six marks per game this season, and is the early leader in the Club Player of the Year award, which is voted on by fans.
Some media experts have even suggested Hanley as an early candidate for this year’s All Australian side.
Superstar midfielder Simon Black says Hanley’s rise through the AFL ranks is a testament to his hard work and dedication upon arriving on foreign shores.
“He’s taken to our oval ball magnificently well and is now one of the best kicks in our group,” Black told Channel 7’s GameDay program on Sunday.
“He’s put a lot of time in mind you. He’s trained really hard, slept with the ball, and even taken a ball to restaurants just to get a feel for the Sherrin. It’s a real credit to him the way he’s picked it up.”
Hanley, who also appeared as a guest on GameDay, revealed that Sydney Swans premiership player – and fellow Irishman – Tadgh Kennelly prove a source of inspiration back home.
“I used to stay up late on a Friday and watch the AFL highlights package (from Ireland). I obviously used to follow Tadhg pretty closely,” Hanley said.
“I watched vision of him all the time. I got a DVD made up with vision of every game he played and I just studied that and tried to emulate it in the Reserves.”
Hanley said he was also buoyed by the prospect of having his father Andy in Brisbane to watch him play live for the first time in a senior match this Saturday night against Carlton.
“(My parents) haven’t seen me play an AFL game, they’ve seen me play Reserves game because they haven’t been out for a few years,” Hanley said.
“But my father is on his way over to watch the next two games (at the Gabba).”
