WHEN American pilot Josh Hernandez decided to attend his first game of Australian Rules football, he had no idea he’d soon feature in an iconic snap of one of the game’s best players.

Hernandez was seated near the Geelong cheer squad and had just come to terms with the concept of a mark, when a spectacular example unfolded right before his eyes.

His priceless reaction meant the AFL first-timer would earn his five-minutes of internet fame, captured for eternity in the background of the soaring Ablett grab.

“I was asking this lady in front of me a ton of questions. She was so nice, she was just telling me everything,” he told Cats Media.

“I found out what a mark was, right before that moment.”

As Ablett rose, so did Hernandez.

“Everyone’s asking me how I knew to celebrate so early,” Hernandez says.

“I’ve been watching sports long enough to know what great positioning looks like. As soon as he left the ground I knew it was happening. I knew it was caught. I was like – yes!”

“I looked at the photo and everybody was just kind of sitting and waiting for it. I was just like, I know it’s happening and it’s going and sure enough he caught it.”

The experience was one Hernandez had never come across before.

“I think there was 66-thousand people there – it’s the biggest stadium I’ve ever been in before.

“I was pumped, I was flat-out pumped.”