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Retired Lenny Hayes

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Re: 2011 Player Reviews

#7 - Lenny Hayes

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Lenny came into the season with a Norm Smith medal after a terrific 2010 and finals series. Much was expected of the man dubbed 'the heart and soul of the club'.

Round 1 came along and Lenny was back to work, with a cracking performance against Geelong. Lenny gathered 29 possessions and led our midfield in horrible conditions. Unfortunately St Kilda lost, but Lenny could hold his high.

The next game against Richmond Lenny was back producing his best having 16 possesion mid-way through the 3rd term*. Then the worst struck, with Lenny going down with a serious knee injury, sparking the end to his season just 2 games in. This was a huge disappointment to the players and supporters.

Lenny is expect to play on from the early rounds in 2012 and if he can get back to his best, the Saints become so much closer to that elusive premiership.
 
Re: 2012 Media Thread

ST KILDA veteran Lenny Hayes could make a surprise appearance in the early stages of the NAB Cup.

Saints coach Scott Watters said the hard-working midfielder had recovered well from his knee injury last year and was ready to resume when the time was appropriate.

"Each player is going to be assessed (in the NAB Cup) on what they need and what their requirements might be," Watters said yesterday.

"But Lenny is ready to play. Mate, if we were playing tomorrow, his name would be up for selection."
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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/lenny-hayes-on-mend-for-nab-cup/story-fn7eccwx-1226262750763

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The great man was at Bentleigh Telstra shop today, 1-3. Anyone else go see him?

There were free balloons
 
hayes said:
Lenny Hayes​

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Most in the football world would have doubted whether or not a 32 year old could make it back from a torn ACL. I'm sure some would have even written him off. I can guarantee you none of those people would have been Saints supporters who know full well about the will of this man and would've had no doubt that not only would not only return, but be near his best. Little did we know though that this wouldn't be the only thing he would have to deal with during the season.

2012 was the return of everyone's favourite player. Just seeing him out there lifts the entire team, the supporters and even opposition players. Twitter was full of well wishes on his return from some of the AFL's best players which included Joel Selwood. But there was one moment where he really announced to the footy world he's back.

The Bulldogs were our opponent in round 2, and Easton Wood received a handball from a teammate and assessed the situation. Enter Lenny Hayes:



From that moment it was clear he was the Lenny we all knew and loved. His attack on the ball and the man were as hard as ever and even at his age there were games where he put the team on his back and got us the win.

The build up to his 250th was pretty much Lenny week across the AFL and the boys got up to beat the eventual premiers Sydney by 28 points, though it should've been much more.

He topped off a magnificent return season by winning the Trevor Barker Award, where shortly before it was revealed that during preseason training doctors had discovered he had a leaking heart valve which would require open heart surgery at some stage:

http://www.saints.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5315/newsid/147208/default.aspx

He kept that news to himself and played through the entire season with this condition and eventually had it operated on. I'll finish the review with this quote from Watters.

Season rating: 9/10
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HERE is the news St Kilda supporters have wanted to read. Lenny Hayes' preparation for the impending AFL campaign is progressing superbly.

Hayes had post-season surgery for a leaky heart valve, a condition it was discovered had been with him through his life but one in which he only realised was there through a club health check after Christmas 2011.

It didn't stop him from returning from a knee reconstruction and claiming the Saints' best and fairest last season, and is unlikely to prevent him from resuming in next month's NAB Cup.

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''Lenny has had a very normal, solid pre-season preparation and he will be fully fit and available for the NAB Cup program,'' St Kilda coach Scott Watters told Fairfax Media on Monday.

More - http://m.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/hayes-in-good-heart-20130121-2d364.html
 
"I've been back in full training probably about three months now,” Hayes said.

“I had a modified program for probably the first month, but since then I’ve been doing everything and all the contact drills, all the grappling, every session I’ve pretty much done. "

Hayes said he’ll probably be in a position to play in three of the four upcoming NAB Cup rounds.

“I feel ready to go, and there’s nothing that I really have to do in terms of maintenance and or anything like that.”

www.afl.com.au/news/2013-01-27/lenny-opens-up
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St Kilda veteran Lenny Hayes says it will take more than off-season heart surgery to keep him out of the AFL pre-season cup - and he hasn't given up hope on extending his career past this year.​
"I was saying to people last year that I would wait and see at the end of the year how I was feeling.​
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"But I still love the game more than ever.​
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"I think eventually it probably will be the body that tells me. Because the mind (won't).​
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"I still love competing and training.​
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"I'll see if I can get through this year and then reassess at the end of the year.​
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"I'd like to keep playing but it just depends on where the club's at and where I am physically."​
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