When Irishman Pearce Hanley moved to Australia at the end of 2007 to embark on an AFL career with the Brisbane Lions, it polarised opinions across his homeland.

Hanley was considered one of the most promising Gaelic football talents in the country at the time, but an opportunity to play professionally in Australia proved too great an incentive for the then Ballaghadereen-based teenager.

“Some people were happy for me, they knew it was a good opportunity” Hanley revealed during an interview with Channel 7 heading into last week’s Multicultural Round.

“(But) there was the other 50% who thought I wasn’t being loyal to Gaelic football, which brought me up and made me the player I was.”

Hanley has since silenced many of his critics by becoming arguably Ireland’s best AFL export since Sydney Swans premiership player Tadhg Kennelly.

And at only 23 years of age, he still has plenty of football ahead of him.

He finished a career-best fourth in the Lions’ 2011 Club Champion Award, and his current form would suggest he would be among the leading candidates for the honour this season.

Hanley has also not missed a senior match since Round 15 of 2010, and looks set to reach the 50-game milestone later this month.

He currently ranks first at the Lions in kicks (187) and second in marks (73), and has enjoyed greater freedom on the wing with a personal-best six goals already this season.

While he is now an established member of the Lions’ senior team, many fans often forget some of the difficulties he faced in the early stages of his development.

Hanley managed just 12 senior matches from his first three seasons of AFL, as he took time to learn the intricacies of the game and cope with the physical demands of professional sport - and the injuries that are often associated with it.

Fellow countryman Niall McKeever is working through that phase currently, and is probably even ahead of Hanley in terms of experience at the same stage of his development.

McKeever has played 17 senior matches in two-and-a-half AFL seasons, and is beginning to find his feet as a regular key defender.

Hanley, meanwhile, is taking the AFL world by storm with his dashes down the wing and precise foot skills. He is also enjoying his football more than ever now that his young Lions’ team are showing real signs of improvement.

He harbours no regrets for making the move five years ago, other than maybe being a little unprepared for the searing Queensland temperatures.

“The weather was a big factor (for my move),” Hanley said.

“I hated using sunscreen - I never used it back home - and was burnt every second day pretty much.”