Hanks's junior football began when she was four or five years old; attending the Nar Nar GoonAuskick program. She also played basketball as a junior. Hanks played in boys football competitions in Cora Lynn, Victoria, but moved to Beaconsfield after finishing under-13s to continue with a girls team. Hanks represented Vic Metro in the 2015 and 2016 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships, but switched to Vic Country after selection zones changed for the 2017 competition. She was named in the 2017 All-Australian side in the forward pocket. After the championships Hanks was named in the 2018 AFLW Academy squad as one of twenty-nine seventeen-year-old prospects. As part of this squad she could attend development camps and train with Australian Football League clubs. In 2018, Hanks began studying exercise science at the Australian Catholic University. She co-captained the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup Girls and was named in the league's Team of the Year. Hanks placed third in the league's best and fairest with 15 votes, one vote behind joint winners Nina Morrison and Madison Prespakis. Hanks attended the AFL Women's Under 18 Championships and was again named in the All-Australian team, this time as a follower. She played for Carlton in the VFL Women's ; on debut against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round 4, she amassed 19 contested possessions and 11 clearances – besting all players – and a team-high 20 disposals. Aasta O'Connor, who oversaw the AFLW Academy program, believed Hanks would eventually captain an AFLW club. She tested at the 2018 AFLW draft combine and set a record in the agility component with a time of 8.788 seconds, also finishing fifth in the yo-yo test. For the 2018 AFLW draft, prospects were required to nominate a state or region they wished to play in; Hanks was to nominate the Melbourne metropolitan area, preventing Geelong from recruiting her.
AFLW career
Hanks was recruited by Melbourne with pick 6 in the 2018 AFLW draft, their first selection. She injured her knee in a practice match against Melbourne's VFLW affiliate Casey Demons, resulting in bone bruising but no muscle or ligament damage. The injury interrupted Hanks's pre-season but did not prevent her from making her AFLW debut in the opening round of the 2019 season; a loss to at Casey Fields. She played all seven matches in her first season.
