OCTOBER didn’t go the way Will Hayward expected it to, but he’s thrilled it panned out the way it did.
Arriving at IKON Park on Thursday alongside best mate Ollie Florent, it was finally time for Hayward to get a lens on his new home, 15 days after the deadline day move from Sydney to Carlton.
It was with just minutes to spare when the deal was agreed between the Blues and Swans for Hayward, with Florent’s trade going through separately and some five hours before his close friend of a decade.
The 7:30pm local time deadline meant that Hayward was up until 3:30am while holidaying in South America, detailing how he desperately called his manager in the final minutes of the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period to ensure the deal was going to go through.
“With 10 minutes to go, I was on the phone to my manager saying ‘you need to get this deal done’. Although the deal hadn’t gone through, I was fully committing to joining the Blues and joining such a good club. Thank God it did!
“It was down to the wire. I don’t know if I’m being oblivious saying this, but I didn’t expect it to be [so late].
“It was pretty chaotic, but I’m so grateful it got done in the end. I’m super happy to be here.”
A lot of the ground work from a Carlton perspective had already been done.
Hayward knew how keen the Blues were in his services, particularly on the back of a 2024 campaign where Hayward was a free agent. There were media reports of interest at the time, with Hayward confirming just how advanced those discussions were - and the comment made to the Blues’ hierarchy that ultimately turned out to be prophetic.
“Last year during my free agency, I was actually really close to joining the Club.
“I remember walking out of a couple of meetings with Mick Agresta, Nick [Austin] and ‘Vossy’… and after re-signing with the Swans, I said if it doesn’t work out, this is the only other club I’d want to play for.
“It’s funny how it happens and we’re here now, and I’m super excited about it.”
With 184 games to his belt and over 150 goals in his last five seasons, Hayward wants to be a point of difference in the Blues’ forward setup, with his ability to play both tall and small as well as offering leadership in the front half alongside the likes of Harry McKay.
And while March is a little while away, he’s already excited about the Carlton roar greeting his first - and every - goal in Navy Blue.
“I’ve faced you guys too many times where the crowd has been absolutely crazy. I’m super excited to hear that roar in support - I can’t wait.”
