Will Hayward Biography

Will Hayward turns his back on interest from rival clubs to sign a five-year deal with Sydney.

“Since I was drafted the Swans have been great to me and my family, and I’m so happy that I will be here at the club for the long term,” Hayward said.

“I feel extremely lucky that the club has put its faith in me, and our team feels we’re on the right path, so I can’t wait to get stuck in and try to achieve more success here in Sydney."

Will Hayward takes the mark of the round for round 7 of 2022.

Will Hayward signs a new four-year extension with Sydney to remain at the club until the end of 2024.

"The older boys helped show the way for us when we were drafted, and the coaching staff showed a lot of faith in us by playing us early in our careers," Hayward said.

"Hopefully I can repay that faith over the next five years and we can have some success."

Will Hayward will be out for up to a month after having surgery on a broken jaw.

Will Hayward says he feels fortunate to have Lance Franklin as a mentor at the Swans.

"Bud is always there for anything I might need and he's really, really approachable," Hayward said of Franklin.

"He chats with me to settle my nerves and makes me feel comfortable before a game, and just tells me to back myself in and just play footy.

"He's first-class when it comes to helping the young boys, and for the player that he is, he's great to have at the club."

Will Hayward earns the final NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for 2017 in round 23.

"It feels good and it was pretty surprising, given I had three kicks this week, but it’s nice to receive the nomination," Hayward said.

"But it's not really about that for me, with obviously having a pretty slow start to the year, then to be where we are now. I definitely have moments where I pinch myself, especially considering the likes of the people I play with – we've got a team full of stars."

Swans teammate Tom Papley had earlier outed Hayward in a post-game interview as coach John Longmire's favourite player.

"I don't know where that started, but 'Pap' said it in a post-match interview and that blew it up a bit," Hayward said.

"(Our relationship) is pretty much the same as every other player."

Will Hayward makes his AFL debut for Sydney at Docklands Stadium with 16 disposals (11 kicks and 5 handballs), 3 marks and 6 tackles in a 23-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.

Sydney select Will Hayward with pick No.21 in the 2016 National Draft.