Last Friday, Will Hayes was celebrating his 19th birthday, with a 10am VFL clash at a wet and wild Victoria Park awaiting him the next day.
Fast forward to this Friday, and Hayes is preparing for his AFL debut, with a roofed Marvel Stadium and a 7:35pm start time scheduled as the Pies take on North Melbourne.
Finding out on Thursday afternoon when Senior Coach Craig McRare lobbed a metaphorical alley oop to Bobby Hill who nonchalantly announced the news, Hayes’ past week has been a whirlwind.
“It’s too raw, I reckon I need to be by myself for a little bit and then it will sink in but right now it’s just an unreal moment,” he said.
Hayes was at the centre of a viral moment last November during the AFL draft, with the vision of his selection from his family home being viewed by over 20 million people worldwide.
While it’s hard for the Western Australian to split that moment and the news of his debut, the small forward is just grateful for the journey he’s on.
“That draft night was probably the best feeling of my life, it’s up there with this, and those two moments are the best moments of my life,” he said.
“To have those two moments so close to each other it’s pretty cool so I’m just very grateful.”
Hayes has averaged a goal a game from 10 disposals after seven matches in the VFL in 2025, with his speed and skills impressing from the outset.
Now six months into life as a full-time footballer, with the move from WA to Victoria part of all of that, Hayes said the consistency in being able to train each day has allowed him to get to this stage so quickly.
“It’s been good, we’re having a good season in the VFL too so it’s a good group of boys,” he said.
“Just getting to training week by week with the whole squad is really good because it’s a really good squad to train with, so it’s exciting.
“It was actually a lot easier than I thought settling in, I think through the help of staff at the Club like the Player Development Managers, just getting things sorted for you and living arrangements and that.
“The change to senior footy was pretty big at first. But I feel like I got pretty used to it pretty quickly, just training every day and pre-season so now I feel pretty comfortable.”
While fellow small forward Lachie Schultz will miss the clash as he continues to recover from his Round Nine concussion, Hayes said that he amongst a host of his forward line teammates have been crucial to his development so far.
“I think Shoota (Lachie Schultz) and Jamie (Elliott) have been big for me, Beau (McCreery) and Bobby (Hill) too,” he said.
“I literally could name the whole forward line, they’re a really good group, and Scott Selwood has been a really good coach for us as well, we’re really connected so it’s a good line to be a part of.”
And one more teammate he’s looking forward to running out alongside on Saturday night, is fellow Western Australian Ed Allan.
Having played a career-high five games already this season, Allan has not only progressed his own game, back has taken Hayes under his wing as the pair navigate life on the other side of the country.
“I did live with Ed and his brother, but now I’m with some family friends,” Hayes said.
“He’s been good for me, as soon as I got to the Club he got to me and we became friends pretty quickly, so it’ll be pretty cool to run out with with him for the first time in the black and white.”
