How an email led to Daniel Pinter starring for Sandy
30/04/2026
Daniel Pinter has been one of the biggest embodiments of Sandringham’s early season success in its first season as a standalone club in over 26 years.
The 20-year-old officially signed with the Zebras only three weeks before the season started, and has since gone on to provide multiple standout performances in the yellow, black and blue.
How he came to be a central figure in Sandy’s 2026 campaign, though, is a brilliant story of perseverance.
Having spent time amongst North Melbourne and Coburg’s VFL setups, the 195cm behemoth was unable to break through at either club, and ultimately found himself playing local football with Berwick in the Eastern Football League over the past few seasons.
But VFL football remained the goal, so when the Zebs put the call out for prospective recruits at the end of last year, and despite the disappointment he had suffered in the past, Pinter was among the 497 names that replied to the email.
“I just sent the email because I thought I'd have a crack, well, another crack at VFL,” he said.
“I had some injuries in the past, and had a couple of trials at VFL level, so I just thought I would have another crack and see how it goes.”
It’s fair to say it’s gone pretty well for all involved.
From the 497 respondents, Pinter was identified by the Sandy staff as one of 60 that could potentially make the list, and impressed sufficiently in a scratch match to be included in the 100-strong group that hit the track for the first pre-season session at the club.
As the numbers continued to be whittled down, Pinter continued to impress, so much so that he was rewarded with a spot on the final list of 42, finally fulfilling his ambition of securing a VFL contract.
Having to jump through multiple hoops on his way to securing his spot, Pinter said he always maintained the belief that he was good enough, but more than anything, he just tried to enjoy the process.
“Honestly, I just gave it a good crack, and I did have belief (that I would make it),” he said.
“This year I’ve had so much fun, and that’s paved the way for things so far. I’ve just had fun and everything else has taken care of itself.”
The affable figure has certainly not rested on his laurels since making the list, either, winning admiration from teammates and supporters alike with a string of huge performances throughout the opening few rounds, especially through the ruck.
With injuries and unavailability forcing Pinter into rucking the majority of the game unassisted, the big man – in just his second game at the level - produced a stellar showing in Sandy’s first win of the year against Werribee.
Racking up 21 disposals, 11 clearances and 11 tackles, Pinter was the catalyst as the Zebs stormed home in the second half to overturn a 35-point deficit, kicking the go-ahead goal while finishing as the highest rated player on the ground.
He was huge again the following week against Brisbane, beating AFL-listed ruckman Zane Zakostelsky in hit outs, while also leading all comers with seven clearances in another huge display.
It has been a remarkable start to his VFL career, and made all the more impressive by the fact that Pinter arrived at Sandringham with a position solely in the forward line in mind.
“I’ve had a lot of great feedback, especially in the praccy matches,” he said.
“The coaches liked what I was doing, and Mick (Kinsella, VFL development coach) kind of pushed me into playing more ruck, and just showing that I can play ruck and also play a bit up forward.
“I had played a bit of ruck before, but I initially thought they needed a forward, but obviously now we’re playing ruck, so it’s been good.”
It was in those practice matches, pinch-hitting as a second ruck, that Pinter began to feel like he belonged, and what he credits for his early season form, having performed strongly at the standalone carnival against Coburg.
“Honestly, the praccy matches gave me lots of confidence,” he said.
“Before I debuted, I was asking the boys, ‘is it going to be different from the praccy matches?’
“They said it may be a little bit harder, but not really, and then it wasn't, really, so I think the practice matches put me in good stead.”
Moreover, though, Pinter also credits the culture being built at Sandy for his own personal success.
Defying the league’s expectations with two wins across the first three games only served to enhance that team dynamic, he said, and has created plenty of excitement as to what can be achieved as the season rolls on.
“It all comes down to the coaches and the culture they are building, as well as all our mates and everyone we're playing with,” he said.
“The team, the culture - it's just growing and it's just such a fun environment, and you just want to work for your teammates when you get on the field.
“It's exciting to see what we can do for the rest of the year.”
Photo: Maddie Green
Written by Alexander Dabb - Sandringham FC Media