THE CARLTON Football Club is excited to welcome Nick Haynes to IKON Park in 2025. 

The experienced defender has landed at the Blues on the opening day of the free agency window, as an unrestricted free agent. 

An inaugural player for GWS, Haynes arrives at Carlton as a mature, level-headed professional, with 211 AFL games and 13 seasons at the elite level – adding valuable experience to a playing group with just one player over the age of 30. 

Renowned for his intercept ability, heading into 2024 Haynes ranked in the top five for intercepts per game at the Giants, in each of his previous nine seasons. 

He produced a standout performance at AFL level this year in Round 10 against the Bulldogs, amassing 25 disposals and 12 marks, four of those intercepts.   

Haynes is an All-Australian, Kevin Sheedy Medallist (GWS Best and Fairest) and became just the third Giant drafted by the club to reach 200 games. 

Adding important finals experience to the group, Haynes played in the 2019 Grand Final, as well as preliminary finals in 2016 and 2017 and semi-finals in 2018 and 2021.  

Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin said the Club is excited to bring some added dimensions to the defensive group.   

“Nick adds quality to our defensive group, bringing with him valuable experience at the highest level that will complement our back half,” Austin said. 

“Nick has shown a high amount of resilience throughout his career, which is a testament to his strong worth ethic and his durability is a key asset we are really looking to add to our playing list during the off-season.  

“We’ve observed Nick closely this year and he has been clearly dominant at VFL level, we know the professional he is, his drive and proven ability to stand up as a mature player on the big stage, which makes him the perfect fit for our playing group. 

“We are excited to see Nick in the Navy Blue next year and see him get to work in pre-season with his new teammates.”