Player Watch #9 Will Hayward

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Will Hayward
Spritely Sydney Swans forward Will Hayward enjoyed a rocketing start to his career as he became the 11th-youngest player in the AFL era to reach 50 career goals in 2018. The 2016 draftee’s nippy pace and cunning goal awareness have made him a dangerous option in coach John Longmire’s forward line. A broken jaw and a persistent hip injury limited Hayward to just 12 goals in 13 senior games in 2019, but the South Australian is attacking the 2020 campaign on the back of his first full pre-season. Don’t be surprised if the exciting Swan finds himself on a wing this year.

Will Hayward
DOB: 26 October 1998
DEBUT: 2017
DRAFT: #21, 2016 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Walkerville (SA)/North Adelaide (SANFL)

 

bungee

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We should probably steer clear of any decade-long contacts, even if your comment was tongue in cheek. I’d offer 4 years at 800K-850K if he had a great year this year.


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There I was thinking a decade was 10 years.

Twice the length at half the cost/year costs us the same as what you're proposing, but we'd get potentially 8 instead of 4. What's not to like ? There's a risk in offering huge dollars and very long contracts, but even Tedeski would jump at 8 years for around 400k/annum.

Anyway DA, my post was tongue in cheek (well spotted), and it ain't gonna happen so it's academic.

Will Hayward is great isn't he ?

If we managed to poach Cripps the Melbourne papers would freak out. How can the Swans afford Cripps ? How can they be trusted with a salary cap ?. There'd be a huge kerfuffle at AFL HQ, Eddie would be on the phone to Gill, threatening him with releasing 'the pics'. Clarko would be demanding that AFL rules no longer apply to the Hawks. Our salary cap would be suspended for review or revoked. Players (like Will Hayward) wouldn't be paid. Swans HQ would be raided for suspected COLA, some s**t caretaker coach would be appointed with a view to poaching the cream of our young talent (Will Hayward). Horse & Harley would be hauled off to AFL Gitmo, the '33, '05 and 2012 cups would be taken off us and melted down, our Sherrins would be slashed, Will Hayward would be packed off to Hawthorn to replace Gunston, they'd take a dump on each of the member's seats and in Will Hayward's locker, and we'd be stripped of any trading rights for ten years, effectively for our next premiership window (starring Will Hayward). It's not like they haven't punished us before over a legitimate trade. OK maybe not quite this much but this time they'd be harsher claiming we've 'got previous'.

(Just putting another mention of Will Hayward here)

Make no mistake. Gill, Eddie, the Melbourne media and ex-VFL (AFL) do not want us to have anything more than just enough success to keep enough TV money coming in for the Victorian AFL fat-cats to get fatter.

Oh, I am a long way off topic in the Will Hayward thread aren't I ? (rhetorical). Er... I predict Will is gonna be more of a gun than Gunston. I went back and inserted more comments about Will Hayward. A bit like "Where's Wally" only it's "Where's Willy ?"
 

Kapers

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Oh boy, this kid looks so lost atm.

I still think he deserves a chance, but for his own good he should be dropped until he finds some form. I'm probably his biggest apologist, but I would be able to watch him in another ordinary season.
 

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Jeffers

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Bit unlucky with some of the plays yesterday, Blakey missing him with an easy short pass inside 50. Also had a nice inside pass to Parker which was stupidly ruled not 15 metres.
Chased hard even though he looked a bit hampered with strapping on his knee.

Last quarter played more on the ball and got involved.
 
Jun 19, 2011
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Bit unlucky with some of the plays yesterday, Blakey missing him with an easy short pass inside 50. Also had a nice inside pass to Parker which was stupidly ruled not 15 metres.
Chased hard even though he looked a bit hampered with strapping on his knee.

Last quarter played more on the ball and got involved.

Yeh he definitely got burned by some rubbish delivery to him inside 50. And the coaches were playing him and Heeney as pseudo-key talls in the first half which is not either of their go if they have to compete in the air against the likes of 2m Lachie Keefe and 196cm Sam Taylor.

But all of that notwithstanding, he still has to contribute more regularly than he does. That little purple patch in the middle of 2020 shows what he can do at both ends of the ground, he just has to produce it more often or else he should very quickly lose his place to find his form in the reserves.
 

MF

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I can see why the club persist with him as he could be a very good player, but it's frustrating waiting for him to come on.
 

Tedeski

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I watched him at the game. He looked sore.
He looked banged up at training a few weeks ago with that bandage around his knee.
The coaches need to know by now which players are capable of playing out their role for the team under pain.
It's a rare player that can do it but Hayward is not one of them. I understand we needed to persist with such players last year in order to have experience out there but there are enough players waiting in the wings that can give the guy a break to recover from whatever his issue is. If it is requiring surgery then they need to just make the call & we lose him for a period/year, but he is not up to it with that performance if we are the improving team we are said to be.
Personally I can't see it Ralphy.
 

Wheresbuddy

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I still can't work out what sort of forward is he. Just doesn't do much on the lead, crash enough packs, get the ball to ground. He also is rarely in the right spot to crumb and goal and doesn't really have that manic drive to tackle and harass. Can he deliver to his other forwards with pin point accuracy? Is he a good set shot for goal? Has he ever turned a game on its head with a short burst of goals? What exactly does he bring to our forward line?

I just don't get it.
 

momentbymoment

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Isnt he 22/23? Definitely not time. Everyone would look the goods if you had the luxury of our 2017/2018 team even though we were beginning our decline
What I mean by time is that - he was brilliant as the new kid working on the edges. Now he has to step up and play a key role and at the moment, it ain’t working.
 

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elastic

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I think Will has had his position in the team guaranteed the past few years because of our lack of depth. With Wicks and Gulden fighting for a similar role he needs to lift his game to secure his place. I think it will be good for the players to have that extra pressure and will hopefully bring out the best in them. I think he needs to work hard because those other two players are hungry. Should be interesting to see how it plays out but I haven't written him off by any means.
 

Kiama Chris

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I think Will has had his position in the team guaranteed the past few years because of our lack of depth. With Wicks and Gulden fighting for a similar role he needs to lift his game to secure his place. I think it will be good for the players to have that extra pressure and will hopefully bring out the best in them. I think he needs to work hard because those other two players are hungry. Should be interesting to see how it plays out but I haven't written him off by any means.
If we select on form at the moment it would probs be
Papley
Heeney
Parker (rotating through with Heeney)
Wicks (predominantly defensive/pressure)
Gulden (predominantly attacking)
McInerney (if as an attacking HF rather than wing and if fit enough to start)
Haywood
Ronke
I would not pick the last 2 and will be pleased but surprised if McInerney is fit enough.
Two talls leaves the first 5 with one on the bench.
Three talls and Gulden misses.
 
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I am a big believer that the 'medium fwd' position in the modern AFL is a graveyard.

Who are the gun-mid sized fwds in the AFL?

Here is the 2020 AA 40 man squad:

2020 AA Squad

Not a single mid-sized fwd in there, unless you count Gunston (193cm).

With a crowded fwd line, the position is almost impossible to play in the current AFL game.

Really not sure how Hayward's career goes from here in this environment. He is a talent and seems to be hard worker but his position is semi redundant.
 
Last edited:
Oct 18, 2018
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I am a big believer that the 'medium fwd' position in the modern AFL is a graveyard.

Who are the gun-mid sized fwds in the AFL?

Here is the 2020 AA 40 man squad:

2020 AA Squad

Not a single mid sized fwd in there unless you count Gunston (193cm).

With a crowded fwd line the position is almost impossible to play in the current AFL game.

Really not sure how Hayward's career goes from here in this environment.
Hardest position on the field to shine
- you get bad delivery
- you are not tall enough
- smalls are quicker to the ball
- your mistakes in front of goal are magnified (because your mistakes cost us the game)
- if you don't kick bags your confidence sags
- lots of times you do not get the ball much (mids do it all)
 
Aug 13, 2018
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Hardest position on the field to shine
- you get bad delivery
- you are not tall enough
- smalls are quicker to the ball
- your mistakes in front of goal are magnified (because your mistakes cost us the game)
- if you don't kick bags your confidence sags
- lots of times you do not get the ball much (mids do it all)

Yep agree.

The 2018, 19 & 20 flag sides didnt have any specialist mid-sized fwds - just talls and shorts.

Before that - Tory Dickson and Jacob Townsend have both struggled to get a kick after the GF wins.
 
Wonder if we can trade him to Adelaide and offload his salary to them.
Add him as steak knives when Hewett requests a trade so we can get a round 2 pick and a future 4th if Adelaide feel generous
 
So with Heeney out for a few weeks this opens the door for Hayward as he is the most logical like-for-like replacement as a medium forward. I suppose the other option is to bring Rowbottom/Stephens into the team and have them and/or Warner/Blakey/Florent spent more time up forward. But I hope Hayward gets the nod
 
Yep and I’ll probably regret it about three weeks into the season like most of my predictions but at the moment it’s preseason and I’m bullish.


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Should have gone harder... lol!
 

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