St Kilda fans were finally treated to the long-awaited return of Jack Hayes in 2023, but sadly it didn’t last for as long as anyone had hoped.
A broken navicular bone in his foot from pre-season coupled with a severe hamstring strain delayed Hayes’ AFL return to the final game of the home and away season, before a knee clean-out on the eve of finals brought his campaign to a close.
The definition of a sensation cut short, his powerful five-game cameo in his debut season - including his sensational first game against Collingwood which yielded a Brownlow vote - is one Saints fans will be keen on seeing expand into a fully-fledged feature this season.
Previously from Woodville-West Torrens, the game-breaking forward/ruck's year included South Australian captaincy honours, an equal-third finish in the Magarey Medal, as well as the coveted Jack Oatey Medal – polling 27 out of a possible 27 votes – for his best-on-ground Grand Final performance as the Eagles secured back-to-back Premierships.
