Young Sydney forward Will Hayward says the Swans are putting quality work in the bank as the Christmas break draws near.
The Swans on Monday clicked into gear for the final week of the pre-season grind before hanging up the boots for Christmas, with Sydney’s entire list running, boxing, working on skills or getting their bodies right in the hot December sun.
Hayward said the Swans had left no stone unturned in their approach to pre-season training.
“The opening weeks of the pre-season have been really good,” Hayward told SwansTV.
“All the boys have come back in really good shape and we’ve attacked the pre-season really well, which is good to see.
“It’s all about gaining fitness. The main goal at the start of the pre-season is to come back in good shape and put your best foot forward – and all the boys have done that. It’s all about picking up the fitness, getting into skills and doing the fundamentals really well.”
Hayward signed with the Swans at the 2016 AFL Draft and is now tackling his third pre-season as an AFL footballer.
The speedster played every one of Sydney’s 23 games in season 2018 for the return of 28 goals, running second on Sydney’s goal-kicking leaderboard behind star forward Lance Franklin.
He made his AFL debut in 2017 and booted 22 goals from 17 games to carve out a breakthrough season in his first campaign in red and white.
Hayward says his third pre-season is ramping up in the lead-up to the Christmas break.
“I’ve been working through a few niggles in the off-season, so I’m just getting eased back into training now,” Hayward said.
“I’ve just been running for the last few weeks and am slowly getting eased into skills now.”
A total of 10 new Swans have donned the red and white ahead of season 2019, with Dan Menzel, Jackson Thurlow and Ryan Clarke inking deals in the trade period before seven draftees followed.
Nick Blakey, James Rowbottom, Justin McInerney and Zac Foot all signed with the Swans at the AFL Draft, before Durak Tucker, Harry Reynolds and Sam Wicks jumped on board as rookies.
Hayward said the newcomers had impressed in the early days of the pre-season.
“The new boys have been really good,” Hayward said.
“Dan is a bit older and brings a lot of experience, so he’ll be really good for our forward line.
“Ryan and Jackson are both a bit younger, they’ve been really good on the track and they are attacking every session really well.
“The new kids picked up at the Draft have also hit the ground running early on.”
The Swans will kick off their 2019 campaign in a clash with the Western Bulldogs at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on March 23.
And Hayward said he was keenly awaiting the return of the footy season.
“I cannot wait for the 2019 season,” Hayward.
“The pre-season makes you really excited for the season ahead, so I’m looking forward to it.”
