Travis Knight's emotion at watching son Jake's senior debut for Kiewa-Sandy Creek

A premiership player and former captain of the club, Travis passed on the baton to 16-year-old Jake ahead of the Hawks' home game against Thurgoona on Saturday.

There's not much Travis hasn't experienced in KSC colours but nothing could have prepared him for a moment like this.

"I was nearly more nervous than Jake was," Travis admitted.

"It was a special day.

"I've played a lot of footy out there, captained the club for six years, played in a few flags and Jake grew up out there with me.

"He pretty much came out with me to every training session and was there at every game.

"Everyone knows him at the footy club so it was good for him to come through and put the jumper on and play his first game of senior footy.

"I had the honour of doing the jumper presentation before the game, I was fairly nervous for it and fairly emotional.

"I've had some of the best memories in my life playing in that jumper and to be able to hand that over to Jake for his first game was pretty good in front of all my family and friends.

"There's four or five guys still running around who I played with and they played on Saturday with Jake so the whole day was really emotional."

Jake has been hugely impressive in the thirds this season and was thrilled to get the nod from senior coach Jack Neil late last week.

"I heard whispers a few days before the game," Jake said.

"I trained with them on Thursday night and they said I'd be playing my first game.

"The jumper presentation was pretty emotional, a special moment for sure.

"It was special because I grew up there my whole life and watched Dad play in a few premierships and that's inspired me to be a better player."

But if he felt nervous running out onto the ground, Jake certainly didn't show it when it came to his very first kick in senior football.

"It came straight out of the middle, I ran to the boundary and one of the other boys saw me and kicked it to me while I was open," he recalled.

"I had a few breathers and kicked the goal.

"That was a really good feeling."

"To see the boys get around him and support him was good," Travis added.

"It was a proud Dad moment!

"Only being 16, I wasn't too sure how he'd go with the pace of the game but he handled it all like he'd been doing it for years!

"Having a pretty experienced team around him was helpful.

"They had a lot of guys who have played a lot of footy to guide him around and they made him feel comfortable and explained where he should be on the ground and helped him out in a lot of ways.

"Seeing all the players get around him when he kicked his first goal, everyone came from everywhere to him, so that was really cool to watch."

Jake's development was put on pause midway through last season when he broke his nose and dislocated his shoulder.

"It was a bit upsetting, watching from the sidelines when all the boys were having their wins in the finals," he admitted.

"But it's been a big motivation and makes me want to work a bit harder.

"All the boys I play with, I wouldn't go to play with anyone else.

"I feel like I'm doing alright at the moment."

Jake, who finished with two goals in the 52-point win, has played 16 games in the thirds since calling time on his junior career at Wodonga and coming home to the Hawks.

"Jake probably wasn't a 'footy head' as a child," Travis explained.

"I'm mad into my footy but until the last couple of years, he could take it or leave it.

"As soon as we got him out to Kiewa, it was a bit more of a relaxed style which suited him and it's brought the best out of him.

"The last month, he's been one of the best players in the league in the thirds, he's got a couple of best-on-grounds and he's been dominating which has been really nice to see as well."

Travis is yet to officially call time on his decorated playing career but hasn't played this season, focusing instead on his role as an assistant coach with the under-17s.

"I played a couple of games last year, filling in for the twos, and I hoped to play a game this year with Jake in the twos but it hasn't eventuated yet," Travis said.

"He might be above twos football, judging by how it's going!

"I coach the thirds every now and again and I still run around with the thirds boys and occasionally run around with the seniors.

"I do miss that camaraderie you have with all your mates, I love the banter at the footy club and there's still such a great bunch of blokes there.

"It's a good place to be around; even on a Thursday night after footy training, all the old guys come in and have their meals and their beers and we all have a yack and it's a good place to be.

"I first went out there in 2007 and they hadn't played finals for a while.

"Three or four of us went out there from Wodonga and we just hated losing so we started a bit more of a culture of training.

"We set the standards and it built from there.

"We've always had players that will go into town but they always come home because they know it's such a good club.

"The committee doesn't go and chuck a heap of money at big-name players and then have no money the next year, it's a really well-run club behind the scenes."

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