Nick Hayes leaves Werribee on a high having announced his Victorian Football League retirement.

The most experienced player in the Tigers premiership team announced that he was calling it a day after 64 games and four seasons with the club.

In his final season, the versatile forward played 18 games in Werribee’s premiership-winning campaign, with his 2024 season also seeing him reach the milestone of 200 state league games.

Reflecting on his time with the club, Hayes shared, “It’s been a great experience playing at Werribee, and I’ve made some friends for life.”

“The premiership is a day I’ll never forget, and the best possible way to finish my time at the club.”

The forward made the switch to Werribee from South Australian club Woodville West Torrens ahead of the 2021 VFL season, fresh from a 2020 South Australian National Football League flag.

Prior to his six seasons with Woodville, Hayes was originally drafted to Brisbane in the 2013 rookie draft, and spent two seasons with the Lions, where he won the reserves best-and-fairest in his second season. During his time at Brisbane, Hayes also won a North East Australian Football League premiership, adding the 2024 VFL title as his third state league premiership across three different competitions.

When joining Werribee in 2021, Hayes noted that the club’s values made Werribee a perfect fit for him.

“They had a lot of similar values to what I was playing over in Adelaide at Woodville – a standalone club, a real community and team atmosphere, which is exactly what I was looking for here.”

Hayes made an instant impact at the Tigers and was a key player throughout his time at Werribee and was part of the leadership group the past two seasons.

He represented Victoria in the state league clash against his old league, the SANFL, as the Big V returned to state of origin footy this year, while he celebrated his 50th game with the club, before playing his 200th state league game against North Melbourne in round nine.