AFL 2024: Will Hayward happy to let his footy do the talking as Swans prepare to fill Lance Franklin’s void

It’s a big year for Sydney and a big year for out of contract forward Will Hayward. So, where’s the South Australian at? He speaks to LACHLAN McKIRDY about 2024 and beyond.

Off-contract Swans forward Will Hayward is content to let his manager handle any upcoming negotiations as he focuses on helping lead the club back to another grand final.

Hayward, 25, has become a mainstay of the Sydney side for the past seven years, including being a member of their leadership group in 2023, and is entering one of the biggest seasons of his career.

For the first time, he knows his future is not locked in and while he has loved his time at the Swans he is happy to just play footy while his manager sorts out his next deal.

“It’s the first time I’ve really been out of contract,” Hayward said.

“This year I’m focusing on playing the best I can and hoping to get as much team success as possible.

“It’s a massive year for the club, the 150th anniversary. We can play some good footy, get back to the pointy end and get back to the grand final where we were a few years ago.”

Hayward looks to finally be through a mixed pre-season that was impacted by a shin injury. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Hailing from South Australia, there was some talk during the last trade period that Hayward was looking to return home.

While he admits his mum would like the company, Hayward hasn’t had any of those conversations about an Adelaide homecoming and is more excited by the prospect of potentially bringing up his 150th game for the Swans in 2024.

“Mum’s got no kids left at home so I’m sure she’d love to have someone around,” Hayward said.

“It’ll be great to play 150 games, touch wood that I get there, but to become a life member would be something I’d be very honoured by. There’s lots of great people around this club so it would be good.”

Hayward has had a slightly hampered pre-season dealing with some shin issues and has been managed throughout the summer.

But with competition for places in the Swans’ forward line set to ramp up in the coming weeks, he’s looking forward to proving why he should be in the pocket for the opening game against Melbourne.

“We’ve managed it well over the past two months and a lot of it is early in the week so I can go out on a Friday or Saturday and not be held back on drills and do the full session,” Hayward said.

“It’s something that has only come up this pre-season, I haven’t had it before but it has been a bit weird. But it’s great at the moment.”

Hayward celebrates a goal against Carlton in the 2023 elimination final. Picture: Phil Hillyard

At the moment, Tom Papley and Hayden McLean are likely to be the Swans’ two guaranteed starters forward of the ball as they look comfortable in match simulations.

Isaac Heeney is also set to start forward despite splitting his time in the midfield this summer.

Logan McDonald’s impressive pre-season has him ready to try and fill the enormous void left by Lance Franklin’s retirement. During Friday’s training session, the 21-year-old was a standout in wet conditions, taking several strong overhead grabs and kicking truly from just outside the 50.

The interesting debate could be around the third tall with Joel Amartey and Sam Reid both in contention. Amartey was restricted to running drills on Friday as the Swans look to manage his body through the full training load of pre-season.

Injuries have plagued Amartey throughout his career and, at this stage, it’s unlikely he will transition into someone who plays every game of a season. However, the Swans have proven in the past with Reid they know how to get the best out of an injury-prone player.

Reid was involved in the match-play scenarios on Friday after being monitored over the past few weeks. He is running strongly and has looked dominant back on the field.

Hayden McLean looks set to be one of they key men for the Swans’ forward plans in the future. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Hayward knows that the depth of talent at the club means he has to make the most of any opportunity this year. On Friday, he had one of his strongest sessions of the year as he found space in the front half, but also tackled relentlessly around the contest.

The next step is to prove he can be a consistent goalscoring threat as the team looks to combine to match Franklin’s output. Hayward may have been the 11th-youngest player in AFL history to reach 50 goals, but he’s determined to exceed the 25 goals he kicked in 2023.

“I definitely would like to kick more goals,” Hayward said. “At times I found I was getting high up the ground last year and by the time I was back inside 50, I was pretty cooked.

“Last year, I wasn’t really happy with my goalkicking. I could have been more efficient and that’s something I’ll really focus on this year. That’s maybe trying to play a bit deeper at times as well and not wasting so much energy.

“A lot of our young key forwards have stepped up, Joel, Logan and Hayden. They’ve all made their mark and to have Reidy healthy has been good.

“They’ve all got a fair bit of experience between them now. I can’t wait for (this year).”

Originally published as AFL 2024: Will Hayward happy to let his footy do the talking as Swans prepare to fill Lance Franklin’s void