Charles Sturt University’s Max Hanrahan is just four games into his Australian rules career.
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Actually, it’s six if you count two pre-season practice matches. They were a story in themselves.
Hanrahan, remarkably, was among the Bushpigs’ best in his first ever game – a 100-point win against Wodonga Saints. In his second, he was suspended for rough conduct after an off-the-ball bump against Wagga Tigers.
“I missed the first two games (of the season) after I got a suspension against Tigers. I didn’t really know what to do and I kind of panicked. I won’t be doing that again. It was the wrong thing, obviously,” Hanrahan said.
He missed the loss to Marrar in their first game of the season.
This Saturday, CSU’s second half of the season gets underway at Langtry Oval, with the team sitting in fifth, on four wins. They meet a Bombers outfit coming off their first loss.
“Having a few of the boys away this week with uni holidays will be a bit harder,” Hanrahan said. “But definitely everyone at training is really excited for a big game.”
Hanrahan will be among those in the thick of the action, hoping to swing fortunes in their favour. He’s the first to admit he’s still learning but is doing it quickly, playing in the midfield and forward pocket.
“I absolutely love it. I get that excited, I even get nervous before training, I work myself up for it that much,” he said.
Hanrahan played hockey for CSU last year and has dabbled in tennis and soccer. As a youngster, he also played half a season of rugby league before breaking a leg.
Aussie rules is a whole new ball game.
“I've found it really difficult getting the rules and things. That's the hardest thing because I haven't grown up watching it or anything,” he said.
“I only watched my first game of footy after my first training session with the boys. But I’m learning. The fellas are all really supportive, they’re really helping me. Because really, I have no idea.”
The Bushpigs’ first win of the season was against Barellan, when coach Pat Noonan gave Hanrahan a tagging role on one of the league’s best, Sean Ellis.
“Pat pretty much said follow him and he’ll take you to the ball and if you can beat him to the ball, you’ve done your job,” Hanrahan said.
“It helped me. It probably didn’t help him having me annoying him the whole game but that was my job. I enjoyed it.”
Hanrahan isn’t a student. It was through his girlfriend that he came to Wagga, and ultimately to Aussie rules. Now he’s forming a partnership with CSU’s in-form players, Vas Seker, Rob Herzfeld, Louis Miller and Will Thorp.
“In the middle with them, they really know their jobs and what they need to do and where I need to be,” he said. “I’ll just run all game but they make sure I’m thinking about where I need to be. They’ve taken me under their wing.
“Our last game I felt like it was the first week that I wasn’t always asking what to do or where to be.”
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