When Devils forward Brandon Leary snapped a trademark finish right on the half-time siren of their round one win over Coburg, he felt like he belonged at VFL level.
Like many of his teammates stepping up from Tasmanian community leagues, the speedy goalsneak was unsure how he'd stack up against better opposition in front of over 10,000 expectant fans at North Hobart Oval.
The 22-year-old played well in a strong team win, kickstarting a three-game winning streak which has erased any doubt the team belongs on the stage.
Put bluntly, Leary could do what he liked last year as part of a dominant North Launceston side which didn't come close to losing a game in the weak NTFA Premier League.
But like all the locals taking the leap, the player of the match in the 2024 State League grand final has thrived under more pressure to perform.
"I suppose you tend to rise to where you are," Leary said.
"I know last year in the NTFA it was pretty easy to roll out against some of the lower end teams and get 30 touches and kick six, and people look at the stats and think you played amazing.
"It's been refreshing knowing there's a challenge every week and no one is safe in the side. It just puts pressure on, and you want to play the best you can individually and as a team.
"Just being in a more elite environment and everyone around you being good quality is so much fun and so much more engaging mentally."
Leary was confident the team had prepared well enough to be competitive, but the level of uncertainty was palpable before topping Coburg and Port Melbourne at home, then thrashing Frankston on the road.
"We were always unsure going is, as everyone was," he said.
"You never really know what the step up is going to be like. I played one VFL game for North Melbourne back in 2022 and I didn't get near it that day.
"You're always unsure but going out and playing half decent you know you're up to the level at least, which is good.
"The first game in patches you could see we were thereabouts, but still didn't put four quarters together. On the weekend we finally did and we look really quick and dynamic as a team at the moment, which is really exciting."
Leary has put on some weight to prepare for the rigours of VFL, but hasn't lost any of his trademark speed.
"I'm just stronger in the contest and not being pushed around so easy," he said.
"I felt like that was really important for me because in the lower leagues you can rely on your quickness a bit, but stepping up a level I knew I probably needed to get a bit stronger."
"Personally I've been pretty happy (with my form) as well. Pre round one i had an injury and I was a bit worried I wasn't going to play but I played pretty well and I feel like the last couple of weeks I've played pretty well.
"I just haven't been taking my goal opportunities and been a bit inaccurate which is frustrating. But the good thing is I'm having shots and the defensive and marking aspects have been pretty good."
Cleary feels the local talent in the squad have an unspoken desire to showcase what they're capable of now they finally have the stage.
"I wouldn't say it's been a talking point but it's something everyone is driven by somewhat," he said.
"It's hard to prove what you can do when you're not given the opportunity to. You see blokes go into an AFL system and once they're there, they improve so much because they're in a good environment and they're spending all their time doing it.
"It's the same thing down there, we've got better facilities, we're training with better blokes, you've got good coaches so of course we're going to get better."
The Devils had a very tight window to forge connections within the squad, and Leary said pre-season trips like their mini 'boot camp' at Queens Town has sped up the process.
"We walked up a mountain with some weights on our backs, some weights are bigger than others and you shared the load around. That stuff has helped us," he said.
"When things are tough and you do things together you feel closer to one another, the camp was a good example of that.
"I wouldn't say we're surprised (with early success). You look at our side and there's lot of talent in there, it was just how were we going to jel and work together, especially being a brand new thing and getting everyone together pretty quickly.
"But Jez (coach Jeromey Webberley) is drilling into us that we've won three games, but there's plenty of good opposition out there."