Report: Injury prone but talented forward completes medical at Collingwood

St Kilda forward Jack Hayes has completed a medical at Collingwood reports Seven’s Mitch Cleary.

Hayes is without a contract for 2025, and Cleary says that the Pies are considering the 28-year-old as a key forward/ruck option.

“St Kilda forward Jack Hayes is a player of interest for the Collingwood Football Club,” Cleary said on Seven News.

“He’s one of the players Collingwood is targeting for this key forward/ruck role that Craig McRae has been pretty vocal post-season about … in his press conference at the end of the season he said, ‘We’re after a key forward’.

“My understanding is that Jack Hayes from the Saints has had a medical at the Pies.

“He’s one name to keep an eye on over the next nine days.“

While Hayes is clearly talented, he played just two games in 2024 and has played just eight overall career games, finishing just six of them. Hayes also played in six VFL games for Sandringham in 2024, with most of his season being lost to a knee injury.

Even though he has limited experience at the AFL level, Hayes has polled Brownlow votes in two of his six completed AFL games.

“He starts next year as a 28-year-old, he’s in that prime age group and is ready to go,” Cleary said.

“He’s played six full games because of injury concerns he’s had over the last couple of years. Of those six games he’s competed, he’s polled Brownlow votes in two of them.

“His first game of AFL footy was actually Craig McRae’s first as coach of the Pies, he kicked three goals that night and polled a Brownlow vote.

“He’s one of the many names the Pies are looking at to fill this key forward vacancy.”