The Mooroopna product made his AFL debut, a lively presence early as his Western Bulldogs fell to St Kilda, losing by a surprising 39 points at Marvel Stadium.
But the result aside, the match represented Vandermeer's first major step in his professional football career, having spent last season playing VFL while on the Bulldogs’ list, before quickly ascending to the AFL ranks this year.
The 21-year-old said nerves and excitement battled for control of his emotions, but the latter prevailed when he strode onto the ground.
“I found out (I was playing) on Thursday and didn't play until Sunday, so there was a bit of time between then. Everyone told me to relax and that was what I tried to do, I tried to stay occupied with a bit of reading and a few other things,” Vandermeer said.
“I was pretty excited more than anything, walking out I was soaking it all in — I couldn't stop smiling really. I really did try and soak it in, although credit to the Saints, they were a really good side and it was quite a hard game.
“The nerves were pretty high, when I woke up in the morning it sort of hit me in the face ‘you're playing an AFL game’, it's a bit hard to get your head around it. Once you're on the ground and the siren goes, it's a bit of a blur after that.
“But it was great, not many people get to do it, so many people get drafted and don't play a game, so to tick it off is great.”
It did not take long for the Cat-turned-Dog to make a scoreboard impact; he had an early set-shot he pushed narrowly wide before splitting the sticks early in the second quarter.
“The first one, I got the distance, but I think I was just overthinking it a bit,” Vandermeer said.
“But the second one, it was just a sigh of relief after that, some people have to wait five or six games or longer for a goal, so it was good to get it nice and early. It does make you feel a bit more like you're a part of things.”
A lightning-quick line-breaker, the pace of the game at the top level must be quick if the latest Bulldog found it as such — he said decision-making had needed to be instantaneous.
“Speed's probably my best attribute, so I didn't find that part of it too quick,” he said.
“Just the pressure stood out, every time you had the ball you were under the pump, so the learning curve was there that you need to be half-a-second quicker or you'll be tackled. The more you play, the more you'll get used to it though.”
Son of legendary Mooroopna netballer Katie and footballer Jeff, Vandermeer understood the pride with which those gathered in his hometown viewed his debut, despite not being able to watch the game in the stands due to coronavirus restrictions.
“There were a fair few people at my home in Mooroopna, they were all there celebrating and I hope they get the opportunity to come and watch a game soon,” he said.
“I rang Mum and Dad afterwards, it was pretty surreal, they were pretty proud. Especially my old man, I heard he sat in a room with his parents away from the other people, he was pretty nervous.
“It's good that it's happened in round two, there's 15 games left and it's a real confidence boost. But I didn't play as good as I can, the aim's just to keep getting better, play more games and get more confidence and have a bit more of an impact.”
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