Pint-sized AFL players meet their fully grown heroes

I don't know about you, but when I was seven years old, I was obsessed with footy.

Truth be known, I still live and breathe AFL.

But as a little tacker, imagine the thrill of getting to play your favourite player in a television commercial. It's an opportunity afforded to a handful of lucky kids across Australia in NAB's latest Mini Legends campaign.

There's a mini Dustin Martin, complete with tattoos and plenty of attitude, a tiny version of Jason Johannisen from the Bulldogs- his bleach blonde hair a highlight- and AFLW star Moana Hope also has a lookalike.

Then there's Joe Daniher, played by Melbourne school kid Jack. And yes, this mini-me even had a Daniher moustache.

It's fair to say Jack's “audition” was fairly unique, as he didn’t have to audition. Instead, he was gifted an incredible surprise.

There was Jack in an Essendon jumper and fake moustache, replicating the moves of his hero.

“He’s my favourite player because he takes big marks. Like me, here’s a left footer and he kicks long,” Jack said, highlighting his love for the Bombers.

The seven-year-old said he couldn’t believe his eyes when his hero ran onto the field.

“I got the shock of my life when he took a mark on me. I was like, ‘what, is that really Joe!”.

Jack joined Daniher for a kick-to-kick, followed by some marking and tackling practice. A big kid himself, the 23-year-old clearly enjoyed it.

“To see kids out there, running around and pretending to be you, is very humbling,” he said.

As for the likeness of his younger counterpart, Daniher said a “bit of superglue” helped Jack’s mo come to life.

“It looks a bit thicker than mine, so I’ve got a bit of moustache envy,” he said.

After making his mark on the AFL this year, it's fair to say Daniher has made his mark on a certain little legend.