Hayden Young Biography

Hayden Young is optimistic he can complete a full campaign in 2026 after an off-season visit to renowned rehabilitation clinic Aspetar in Doha that has helped set him up for a strong summer.

Young was restricted last pre-season as he recovered from a broken leg, going on to play just nine games in 2025 as repeated hamstring injuries and a groin setback interrupted his year.

"The overwhelming feeling is I left there with a lot of optimism and hope," Young said of his week-long visit to Doha.

"When you have a pretty interrupted year, you can sort of get down on yourself and think that you're prone to injuries, but that's not the case, and I left there with a lot of solutions and things I can work on."

Fremantle will use the pre-finals bye to build star midfielder Hayden Young's fitness with the aim of increasing his game time in a cutthroat elimination final at Optus Stadium next week.

Young has played eight games this season due largely to repeat hamstring injuries, and he returned from a groin setback against the Western Bulldogs last Sunday to play a crucial midfield role.

"The medicos and fitness guys handled his game time really well ... and I thought he had a big impact on the game," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said.

"He's been disappointed when he's had those repeat injuries, but he just got back to work and worked his backside off. That allows him to come in and have a big game against a really good midfield."

Hayden Young's 2025 season is in jeopardy after scans revealed he suffered an adductor strain in Fremantle's win over Carlton at Optus Stadium.

Young came from the ground 20 minutes into the first quarter and appeared in pain as physios assessed his groin, with the 24-year-old attempting some run throughs at quarter-time, however he was unable to return.

Hayden Young will be out for up to three months after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury, leaving a significant gap in Fremantle's midfield.

"He's actually gone in for surgery, and even though it's not in the traditional spot of the normal hamstring bicep femoris injury he will be around about the 10 to 12 weeks mark," Fremantle high performance manager Phil Merriman explained.

Hayden Young has become the AFL's longest-contracted player after signing a contract extension with Fremantle until 2033.

"I'm really optimistic about the direction we are heading as a club, and I really want to be a part of that going forward," Hayden Young said.

Caleb Serong tops another All-Australian season in 2024 with his second consecutive Fremantle best and fairest award.

The 23-year-old won the award from runner-up Andrew Brayshaw for the second year in a row, with third-placed Hayden Young making it a clean sweep on the podium for the Dockers' midfield trio.

Hayden Young reveals if Fremantle had made finals, he would have missed through an injury sustained in the Dockers' final game of the 2024 season against Port Adelaide.

"It sort of got a knock and just felt like a little stinger or corky and I tried to run it out, and obviously it just wasn't going away. And I was like, 'This is not your normal sort of corky'," he said.

"It was a little bit frustrating because the game was in the balance and I felt like we were right in it. I couldn't really take much part in that last quarter, so that's just the way it is."

21-year-old Hayden Young is the youngest and least-experienced member appointed to a new-look Dockers leadership group for 2023, with just 35 senior games under his belt.

"I came into this year not knowing where I would sit with leadership (and) not knowing if I was ready," Young said.

"I was like, 'Am I too young? Have I played enough games?' But the fact that I was voted in by my peers gives me a lot of confidence that they value what I bring to the club.

"They value what I bring in a leadership space and that gives me a lot of confidence that I can keep doing what I'm doing."

Hayden Young is the 2021 round 20 NAB AFL Rising Star after collecting 23 disposals off half-back with a 91 percent disposal efficiency rate.

Hayden Young is looking to nail down a spot at half-back before contemplating a move into the midfield.

"If there's a spot in the midfield in the future - I'm not sure. At the moment my focus is on half-back, just trying to perfect my craft in that position," he said.

Hayden Young makes his AFL debut for Fremantle at the Gabba with 11 disposals (5 kicks and 6 handballs), a mark and 3 tackles in a 12-point loss to Brisbane.