The veteran will play his 297th and final AFL match at the Adelaide Oval, and will eclipse Jude Bolton’s record for most tackles in the history of the game if he lays eight on the weekend.
While this individual feat will be far from Hayes’ mind when he runs through the banner on Sunday, it’s worth noting just how significant this achievement will be if he happens to get there.
With an average of five tackles per game, the 34-year-old has laid 1483 in his career, just seven short of Jude Bolton’s 1490 in his 325 matches.
So what makes Hayes such an effective tackler?
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Alan Richardson puts it down to his desire and intent.
“Lenny is such a good tackler primarily because he wants to tackle,” the first-year coach told SAINTS.com.au.
“He has a really good appetite for the hard stuff and to get after the opposition when they have the footy.
“Tackling will not work unless you have the want to get after the opposition and he has that in abundance.”
Former St Kilda captain and current forward-line coach Aaron Hamill agreed with Richardson, but suggested his upbringing in rugby’s heartland may have also played a part in Hayes’ trademark defensive skills.
“Having grown up in New South Wales in a rugby dominated place, you play a lot of rugby and a lot of touch footy,” Hamill said.
“That’s how I learned how to tackle. You see it with his sidestep and you see it with his tackling.”
Lenny Hayes lays a tackle on Gold Coast's David Swallow.
Hamill was renowned for his tackling and defensive intent throughout his 190-game career, and like Hayes, he grew up in a rugby-centric city.
“Tackling has always been important. Defence is a huge part of the game and it was something I built my game around,” he said.
“I hope he breaks the record. He will be in the midfield a lot I would have thought so it’s on the cards.”
One player who has played with against both Hayes and Bolton is Adam Schneider, and as a result he's perfectly placed to critique the similarities between the two.
“They are two of the hardest blokes that I’ve played with and against,” the 212-game veteran said.
“I used to hate training with Jude because he trained how he played, and the same applies to Lenny. You have to be careful when you’re out there with him.
“Their commitment to hard work was probably the best I’ve ever seen.”
Hayes has laid eight or more tackles in a game on 55 occasions during his career, including a personal best of 14 against the Cats in round 13, 2010 and then again versus Collingwood in the Grand Final replay later that year.
This season he’s ranked 11th in the league and first at the Saints for tackles, averaging 6.2 per match.
Most tackles in a career:
Jude Bolton: 1490 (325 games) at 4.58 per match
Lenny Hayes: 1483 (296 games) at 5.01 per match
Simon Black: 1283 (322 games) at 3.98 per match
Brett Kirk: 1278 (241 games) at 5.30 per match
Tony Liberatore: 1225 (279 games) at 4.39 per match
Other Saints in the top 30: Luke Ball, Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna.
