North Queensland Cowboys In Round 15 of the
1996 ARL season, Cowboys' head coach
Graham Lowe named Hannay to make his first grade debut against the
Western Suburbs Magpies. At 16 years and 185 days old, Hannay would have been the second youngest player to debut in Australian history after
Ray Stehr, who debuted at 16 years and 85 days in 1929. The selection was ultimately blocked by the
Australian Rugby League (ARL), as Hannay (who was born in 1980), had to turn 17 the year he debuted to be eligible. In Round 3 of the
1998 NRL season, almost two years after his vetoed debut, the now 18-year old Hannay made his NRL debut in the Cowboys' 16–15 win over the
Parramatta Eels, scoring a try. In Round 23, he scored his first NRL hat-trick in a 12–28 loss to the
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. In his rookie season for the club, he played 21 games, starting at either or , scoring 15 tries, 29 goals and 118 points to finish as the side's top try and point scorer. In 1999, despite playing just 13 games due to injuries, he represented the
Junior Kangaroos alongside his Cowboys teammate
Scott Prince. Over the next two seasons, Hannay was further plagued by injuries, playing only 17 games, including just five in
2000. In 2002, he played his first full season in four years, starting in 19 games for the Cowboys and finishing as their top point scorer. In 2003, Hannay enjoyed a breakout season, playing 23 games and scoring 230 points, second in the NRL only to
Hazem El Masri's 294. On 16 July 2003, he made his
State of Origin debut for
Queensland, starting at and kicking four goals in a 36–6 Game III win over
New South Wales at
Suncorp Stadium. In Round 23 of the
2003 season, Hannay set the record for most points (24) and most goals (10) in a single game for the Cowboys in their 60–8 win over the
South Sydney Rabbitohs. As of 2020, his 10-goal record still stands, while
Johnathan Thurston later equalled his points record in 2006. In 2004, Hannay started at in all 27 games for the Cowboys as they qualified for the finals for the first time in their history. He scored 228 points that season, finishing second again in the top point scorers list to El Masri, who scored 342. In 2005, he started at in the Cowboys' maiden
NRL Grand Final appearance, a 16–30 loss to the
Wests Tigers. In 2006, Hannay fell out of favour at the Cowboys, playing just nine games. In July, he was told by the club he would not be re-signed when his contract ended that season. Despite this, Hannay earned a recall to the
Queensland side, starting at centre in their series-deciding 16–14 win over New South Wales at the
Telstra Dome in
Melbourne. On 26 July 2006, he signed a two-year deal with the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks In Round 1 of the
2007 NRL season, Hannay made his debut for the Sharks in an 18–0 win over the
Penrith Panthers. He would play just two more games before being dropped to
NSW Cup by head coach
Ricky Stuart. In June 2007, he was dropped from the Sharks' NSW Cup side and began playing for the
Gymea Gorillas in the local
Cronulla-Sutherland District competition before being granted a release by the club.
Celtic Crusaders In August 2007, Hannay signed the
Celtic Crusaders, who were playing in the
National League Two, helping them to promotion to the
National League One. In 2008, he was a member of the Crusaders' side who lost to
Salford City in the National League One Grand Final. Despite losing the Grand Final, the Crusaders finished second and earned promotion to the
Super League for the first time. In 2009, he played 17 Super League games for the Crusaders, finishing as the club's top point scorer. Hannay did not get to finish the season, as he, along with Australian teammates
Jace Van Dijk,
Tony Duggan,
Damien Quin,
Darren Mapp and
Mark Dalle Cort were deported after the
UK Border Agency ruled they breached visa regulations. Hannay was banned from entering the
United Kingdom for 10 years and his Crusaders' contract was cancelled with immediate effect.
Later career In November 2009, Hannay returned to
Australia, joining the
Mackay Cutters in the
Queensland Cup for the 2010 season. In 2011, he returned to Moranbah to play for his junior club, the Moranbah Miners, in the Mackay and Districts A-Grade competition. In 2012, he
captain-coached the club to premiership success in the competition. In 2013, he retired from playing and solely focused on coaching the Miners. ==Coaching career==