By sports editor Russell Bennett
The football connection runs deep through Tanner Stanton’s family.
His father, his uncles, and even his sister’s partner all have a heavy involvement in the game – but yet he’s forged his own path.
The 23-year-old has spent the past two seasons playing under his father, Hayden, at Garfield in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition.
It’s the only time he’s ever been coached by him, outside of a brief period in junior cricket.
But it’s been in these two seasons that Stanton’s career has taken off.
He credits a lot of that to the increased responsibility he’s been given as part of a young Stars outfit, but also the eagerness to prove he belongs alongside some of the local area’s best talent.
His selection at interleague level earlier this season was one surefire indicator that he absolutely belongs, but the biggest yet was when he was told he’d be making his VFL debut recently for North Melbourne against Geelong at the famed GMHBA Stadium.
It was a significant step in a long journey that first took him to another sport entirely, before he ultimately returned to the game he loves most.
For years there, as part of the Dandenong set-up in the Victorian Premier Cricket scene, it looked like Stanton had left footy behind.
He was a prodigious talent from a young age – named to represent Victoria at a number of junior levels.
But footy is his true love, outside of partner Chantelle – of course – who’s backed him every step of the way.
Family, and the support they provide, has been huge for Stanton.
Not only does his father coach the Stars after having coached right across the south-east for many years, his uncles Sean and Justin coach their own sides in the Eastern Football League – Fairpark and The Basin, respectively.
Stanton spent a brief period playing under his uncle Sean at Fairpark, before ultimately arriving at Garfield to play under his father from the 2018 season.
He’s got no shortage of people to turn to for advice on his career, including little sister Grace’s partner, Essendon young gun Darcy Parish.
But he knows if he’s going to make it, it’s up to him.
Stanton made it to the final list cull at VFL club Port Melbourne in the 2019 pre-season, but it wasn’t to be.
Instead, a call up to North Melbourne’s VFL arm was written in the stars.
Stanton was born in a Kangaroos AFL premiership year (1996), as was his sister (1999), and the family are Shinboners through and through.
He ultimately made his VFL debut for the Roos in Geelong, before backing up on the weekend to take to the hallowed turf of Arden Street for a clash against Footscray.
But the biggest accelerator to get to that point came through his time at Garfield.
“To be honest, the two years under dad has progressed my footy immensely,” he said.
“I’m a much better player now than I was three years ago.
“It’s opened my eyes on what it takes to be an elite player.
“He just taught me how to best prepare myself, to have the right application on game day, and the ability to play in different roles.”
And the improvement in Stanton’s contested and ground ball work is testament to that.
A rangy, polished ball-user – who’s particularly lethal by foot – he’s constantly working on other areas of his game to make him a more rounded player. And those at VFL level, including North coaches David Loader and Brendan Whitecross (also the side’s captain), have noticed.
Stanton says the quality of the senior competition in the WGFNC is particularly under-rated when it comes to the top sides.
“There’s a lot of good footballers getting around there, and for myself coming up against those bigger bodies and having to mature as a senior player in Garfield’s side, and taking more responsibility, I just knew I couldn’t have an off week,” he said.
And his selection in the interleague side under Mark Lafferty was another sign of his progression – particularly given his devotion to footy only truly came about from the start of last season.
His opportunity at North Melbourne came with absolutely no guarantees. It’s similar to the development player role he was also offered at Port Melbourne when he narrowly missed out on the senior VFL list.
He was told the only way he would get a VFL game in the famous Roos colours was either through injury, or bursting down the door with his form at local level.
But even the slight chance to run out on to the ground in North Melbourne colours was too good for him to pass up.
His decision-making, ball use, and communication clearly stands out to anyone who watches him play.
But in the past couple of seasons his leadership has also come along in leaps and bounds.
Before he was picked to make his VFL debut against the Cats, he was told by his coaches at North that his commitment to training, his talk, and his skills were all real standouts. It’s exactly what sets him apart in the WGFNC.
When he was asked by Loader and Whitecross if he thought he was up to playing VFL footy his response was a simple: “Bloody oath”.
“I was just so appreciative of the chance, but I knew deep down I’d worked hard, and I’d deserved it,” Stanton said.
His parents were having dinner nearby to Arden Street when he got the nod that he’d be making his debut.
They were over the moon when he told them, but it wasn’t until he got in the car later that night and told his sister Grace – and heard the excitement in her voice – that the significance of his selection to his family really hit home.
It’s the lifelong dream of so many young footballers to end up wearing the colours of the club they grew up supporting, and he was about to get that chance.
And given the hard yards he’s put in to get to where he is, that chance he has in front of him isn’t something he’ll ever take lightly.
With the knock-back at Port Melbourne, the easy thing for him to do was to go into his shell and give up.
“But I took that on-board to spur me on and try and prove them wrong,” he said. “They did offer me a spot on their development list, but I wanted to go and try my luck somewhere else and work really hard for it. That’s the most pleasing thing.
“You see a lot of guys give up the dream, but I’m 23. If I’m going to make it in footy, it’s in the next few years that I really have to stand up. Now is my time.”
Though his debut game resulted in a heavy loss to the Cats, Stanton used his debut opportunity wisely.
His main focuses in that game were his defensive acts, pressure, tackling, and playing to the North Melbourne style of footy – coming up at the kicker and hunting in packs. After starting forward, he was later switched to half-back and stayed disciplined in his lock-down role on a number of their rotating forwards.
As for his second game against Footscray, and his first chance to play a game in North colours at Arden Street, Stanton’s excitement was obvious, even in the days after the clash.
“It was a surreal experience – one that I’ll never forget. Despite the result – going down by a goal – it was definitely one of the most enjoyable games of footy I’ve been involved in.”
