Sydney Swans forward Will Hayward made a successful return to the AFL side in Round 5, kicking three goals in the side’s defeat to the GWS Giants.
After not featuring in the opening month of football, Hayward saw his recall to the side as an opportunity for a point to prove to himself.
The forward starred in his return, finishing with three goals, one behind, 18 disposals and three tackles.
Reflecting on his past month, Hayward spoke with plenty of positivity.
A handful of trial matches with the Swans VFL side against the GWS Giants provided an opportunity for Hayward to regain some confidence and consistency in his football ahead of his recall to the senior side.
“I spent a month in the reserves which was a good opportunity to find some form and consistency,” Hayward said.
“The silver lining was that I was able to find some consistency, get some confidence and to be able to come back into the seniors against GWS was good. Unfortunately, it would have been much nicer if we could have had the win.
“At the start, I knew I wasn’t in the best form but really wanted to push for senior selection early,” Hayward added.
“I knew where I was at, and that I might need a few weeks to get going, and I really enjoyed the opportunity in the reserves to play and get confidence. It makes it a lot easier when you come back in and you feel good.”
The forward, whose highlight from the night was a spectacular goal which saw the forward kick the ball out of the air with the outside of his foot to send it through like a banana, loved being back out on the SCG.
“I absolutely loved being back out there, just being in the moment before we ran out and hearing the crowd. It’s been a while since we have played in front of 33,000 at the SCG and I absolutely loved it,” Hayward said.
“I was almost pinching myself again. I loved being back out there, the energy, the crowd when the game was so close, it was amazing.
“It was really disappointing to not get the win but just to be back out there was really enjoyable.”
After bursting onto the scene in 2017 and kicking 50 goals from 40 games in his first two seasons, the 22-year old now has 71 games to his name.
In his first game back in the AFL side for the year, Hayward said he entered the clash with a point to prove.
“From playing in the reserves and finding a bit of form, I came out with a bit more confidence and a bit of a point to prove to myself that I have worked hard the last four weeks and deserved to be out there,” Hayward said.
“I really enjoyed that opportunity and I was glad to play a role, but would of much preferred a team win.”
Senior coach John Longmire spoke this week about the squad mentality of always being ready if recalled to the side, and Hayward said there was plenty of healthy competition and teammates ready to step up to the challenge.
“It’s a great bunch of boys we have got, they are a great bunch of boys and all willing to learn and are big competitors as well, Hayward said.
“We have a very strong list and the exciting thing is that we have had injuries early, but people can come in and play a role straight away.”
“As soon as someone isn’t fit or available, we have players fit and firing who are ready to get out there so everyone is ready to go and that’s a really good problem to have.
The side will be looking to bounce back after their last minute defeat to the GWS Giants with a tough performance against the Gold Coast Suns, where they will be looking to return to their fundamentals.
“It’s always a close game against the Gold Coast, we always have a tough match,” Hayward said.
“They are a very hard running team, but I think we just need to be able to get back to what has made us a good team, and that’s our pressure and hunting the opposition so to focus on the fundamentals and the pressure will be massive for us this week.”
