IT’S BEEN just under four months now since Nick Haynes became a Blue as a free agent.

Spoken about for weeks, the news became official on 4 October 2024, with Haynes linking up with his new teammates a few weeks later.

For the inaugural Giant, the change was a considerable one, having only known AFL life with the orange team before moving back to Melbourne as a 31-year-old.

But the veteran defender is intent on making sure all of his minutes count in Navy Blue - particularly after negotiating health issues in his final years at GWS.

“I wouldn't have come back down [to Melbourne] if I didn’t think I had a few years left in me,” Haynes told Channel 10.

“I lost about six kilos one year and I couldn’t really digest food, so I was trying to find out why that was happening and ways I could fix my gut. I had about 10 staph infections the year later.

“To put in all that effort… I think I’ve still got [more] left in me.”

Stationed in a defensive post ever since his arrival for pre-season, Haynes has produced some of his customary intercept grabs which made him such a revered defender in the competition over the last decade.

An All Australian in 2020, he has relished the chance to not only bring his knowledge to the Blues’ backline group, but also learn from and work alongside another fellow All Australian in Jacob Weitering.

“To be able to see him up close and to be able to work with him is really exciting. He’s a scholar of the game and likes to dissect things - just like I do.”