WILL Hayes just wanted to help.

There were a few life circumstances which had Hayes - the former Western Bulldog and then Blue - relocating to Melbourne. He and partner Coco were expecting the birth of a little boy, with baby Oliver being welcomed into the world in the middle of June.

Moving from Euroa to Melbourne to set themselves up for the impending birth, Hayes reached out to Carlton Reserves coach Luke Power. He was looking to stay involved during the week before making the trek down to play in the Goulburn Valley Football League.

It started out as training one day a week at IKON Park with some of his old teammates. Then, he was mentoring the younger players. Eventually, he reached out to Power when the team were having a series of close games but unable to get the four points.

“Tongue-in-cheek, I sent Lukey a message saying ‘if you need me, I will play for you’ — and he took it. I couldn’t believe how good the training standard was, and then I looked at the win-loss record and couldn’t believe we were on a bit of a losing streak.

“It worked perfectly. Coco and I had our little boy, we were based out of Melbourne. I decided to play VFL so I wasn’t commuting up the highway — it’s been a very fun three weeks.”

“Very fun” is a fair way to put it. Hayes has picked up exactly where he left off from the Blues in 2022, where he was runner-up in the Carlton Reserves best and fairest and earned selection in the mid-season rookie draft to the AFL side — which also yielded two senior appearances.

It’s why he didn’t have any doubt in his mind about pulling on the Carlton Reserves jumper once again, including in Ned Cahill’s 50th VFL game for the Club.

“I’ve loved it. It’s a great club, a great atmosphere and a very talented squad.

“From the moment I stepped in the door, it felt like home. I’m still very close with the boys at the Western Bulldogs and that club as well, so I’m very lucky with my time in football that I’ve been involved with two great clubs. It was unbelievable to play in Ned’s 50th as well, who I started in the VFL program with.

“This club is full of good people. Plus, I really love the steam room.”

For coach Power, the motivation behind Hayes spending time at IKON Park didn’t start in the interest of him pulling on the jumper on game day — but rather, having a good person back at the football club.

But when the offer came to play, Power was never going to turn it down. That faith was repaid, with Hayes collecting 38, 29 and 35 disposals as the Blues recorded two wins while having a narrow loss to second-placed Footscray.

“‘Hayesy’ loves Carlton and the people. He wasn’t around on the list for a long time, but the way he viewed it was first-class.

“With ‘Hayesy’ being ‘Hayesy’, he didn’t make it about himself: he wanted to come in and train plus mentor a few of our young players. It was pretty big of him. My motivation to have him around was for him to train and be around our younger players: I didn’t want him to feel like he was coming down and had to do a job.

“He’s shown his class with what he can do — especially with a young baby at home. He turns up, he trains hard and is a great example for all our players. He’s a great player and a great person to have around.”