Initially expected to be groomed through the Victorian Football League affiliate the Bendigo Bombers, Quinn showed prodigious progress with the oval ball, with a standout performance in an early intra-club match. After the match, Matthew Knights insisted on Quinn training with the senior side. His form saw him selected into the Essendon side for the 2009 NAB Cup in a match initially scheduled to be played in Darwin, Northern Territory but was moved to Melbourne to become a tribute match for the Black Saturday bushfires. Quinn's Australian host family had already made travel plans and took him to Darwin in the run up to his debut match.