The Will Day effect
Not since Cyril has a young Hawk made such a huge impact
If you had any doubts about Will Day’s effect on this rebuilding team, rewatch the final moments of Hawthorn’s round one clash against Essendon. While Dylan Moore and Tom Mitchell led the third quarter comeback, it was Day’s composure and poise in that frantic final quarter that proved to be the difference in winning the game by one, or losing it by five.
Tim O’Brien’s clutch set shot from around the corner iced the game, but Day kickstarted the crucial chain of events that led up to it. After Devon Smith put the Bombers in front, the ball spilled to Day from a resulting Dylan Shiel clearance. He knew instinctively that the corridor was Hawthorn’s best route to goal, swung his boot on the ball and hit Tom Mitchell in open space. A handball over the top to Liam Shiels and the ball ends up in O’Brien’s hands.
Another teenager (he was 19 at the time) may’ve taken a less risky option, but Day plays on instinct, drive, and has an innate desire to win. He has that uncoachable ability to size up the occasion, and make the right decision in an instant.
There were other moments like this, too. At the start of the quarter, deep in Essendon’s forward 50, Day’s lightning quick handball found Frost, sending Hawthorn out of danger and into open play. It was a ‘blink and you’d miss it moment’ that caught Matthew Richardson’s eye.
“How good were Day’s hands in traffic down back there,” he said, minutes later. “He’s so composed for a young player.”
The commentary team continued to gush when, in the game’s dying seconds, Day demanded the ball from Jarman Impey, instinctively came off the mark to gain as much meterage as possible, before driving the footy as far down the line as he could. That was the first of two possessions in the final two minutes that effectively won Hawthorn the game.
‘Finn is one of those guys I clicked with straight away’
Will Day has played just 16 games, but not since Cyril Rioli has a player made such an immediate impact on a Hawthorn team. While the Hawks have lost 11 of those, Day’s influence has been felt in all five wins. The effect is not just talismanic. He’s a cult hero but backs it up with substance, skill, dash, and an uncanny ability to pick the right moment at the right time, most of the time.
He was drafted at pick 13 in the 2019 National Draft with little fanfare and a few bemused looks - not least for his scrawny build. The narrative around his grandfather, 1971 Hawks Premiership player Robert, didn’t really emerge until after the draft. Maybe Hawthorn’s recruiting team knew they had a beauty and were keeping things on the downlow?
When Day arrived from West Adelaide, he formed an instant bond with Finn Maginness, whose father Scott played in a Premiership, too.
“Finn is one of those guys I clicked with straight away,” he told us on the Golden Years podcast. “Having his dad and my grandpa both win premierships, it becomes more realistic for us to be able to do that as well. It adds to the drive.”
Most expected him to spend most of the year developing his body at Box Hill, but he was brought in just six rounds into the 2020 season against Collingwood, showing glimpses of the maturity and class we’ve come to expect week in, week out.
Who can forget his first goal against the Blues - in round 9, 2020 - which stopped a five goal to zero avalanche and changed the entire trajectory of that game.
In the win against Sydney this year, Will returned from injury to provide much needed assurance and composure at the back. He went at 83% disposal efficiency for his 12 disposals, but his steady defensive presence gave Impey and Changkuoth Jiath licence to unleash their attacking flair off half back.
Then there was his breakout game against GWS, where he relentlessly drove the ball forward time and time again. He launched the vast majority of Hawthorn attacks off halfback, ending the match with an elite 634 metres gained, six inside-50s, and seven score involvements
I commented at the time that he looked like a “skinny Conan” running amok out there on the ‘G, but it was more than his emerging mullet that drew comparisons to Gary Ayres. For a lightly built player, Day has a commanding presence and, like Ayres, he’s just irresistible in full flight.
He never shirks a contest either, as evinced by his act of bravery in junk time against GWS, where he re-injured the same ankle he had surgery on and presumably put an end to his season.
Day’s absence was acutely felt on Saturday night against Port Adelaide when Hawthorn were fumbling it all over the place. While Port would’ve likely ran out winners based purely on form and talent alone, you get the sense we could’ve used his composure when the whips were cracking in the first couple quarters. Who knows we may’ve even pitched a win for Silk’s 400th?
Even Jaeger O’Meara hinted at it in the post match interview. “Daisy’s a big loss for us,” he said, stating the obvious. When Hawthorn’s vice captain is saying this about a 16 game player, you just know you’ve got something special.
The Will Day Effect is real.