Will Day (born 5 June 2001) is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Day is the grandson of 1971 VFL Grand Final premiership player Robert Day.[1]
| Will Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Will Day | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | South Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | West Adelaide (SANFL)/PHOS Camden | ||
| Draft | No. 13, 2019 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 6, 2020, Hawthorn vs. Collingwood, at Giants Stadium | ||
| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder/Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Hawthorn | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2020– | Hawthorn | 70 (13) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early career
editWill played his junior football at local club PHOS Camden. He was part of the SANFL junior development programs at Glenelg before transferring to West Adelaide, (where his grandfather had played) for better opportunities.[2] In 2019, he played for South Australia in the under-18 national championships as well as playing three reserves games.[3] He went to school at Sacred Heart College.
AFL career
editDay's AFL career was initially hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a young player coming into the system, Day would normally start by playing with the Hawthorn affiliate, Box Hill Hawks, but because that competition had been suspended for the year he had to show his mettle with scratch matches against other AFL clubs.
Day made his AFL debut in Round 6, 2020, against Collingwood at Giants Stadium.[4] Day received a Rising Star nomination after round 16, 2020.[5]
He had an injury-affected season in 2021. He fractured an ankle against Richmond in Round 3. He recovered in time to play in round 13 that year and played another three games for the season before having complications from his earlier injury.[6]
Day re-signed with Hawthorn until 2027 in April 2023.[7]
Statistics
editUpdated to the end of 2024.[8]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2020[a] | Hawthorn | 30 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 72 | 172 | 48 | 15 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 9.1 | 6.5 | 15.6 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 2021 | Hawthorn | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 44 | 99 | 25 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 8.8 | 19.8 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 1 |
| 2022 | Hawthorn | 12 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 169 | 104 | 273 | 68 | 33 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 9.9 | 6.1 | 16.1 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | Hawthorn | 12 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 262 | 275 | 537 | 122 | 73 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 25.6 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 8 |
| 2024 | Hawthorn | 12 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 146 | 163 | 309 | 43 | 74 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 19.3 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Career | 70 | 13 | 12 | 733 | 658 | 1391 | 306 | 203 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 10.5 | 9.4 | 19.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 17 | ||
Notes
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honours and achievements
editHawthorn
- McClelland Trophy: 2024
Individual
- Peter Crimmins Medal: 2023
- Paul Dear memorial medal: 2023
- Hawthorn Lethal award: 2023
- Hawthorn best first year player (debut season): 2020
- AFL Rising Star nominee: 2020
- 22under22 team: 2023
References
edit- ^ "Will Day, a star on the rise". 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Where there's a Will, there's a Day: How Hawks teen took control of his destiny". afl.com.au. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Meet the Pack – Will Day". West Adelaide FC. November 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "MEMBER FIRST: Double debutant alert!". Hawthorn FC Media. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Will Day, a star on the rise". Hawthorn FC Media. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Season Snapshot: Will Day".
- ^ "Hawks fans' Day made as young star commits".
- ^ "Will Day Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
External links
edit- Will Day's profile on the official website of the Hawthorn Football Club
- Will Day's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Will Day at AustralianFootball.com
