Season by Season

There haven’t been too many players generate as much passion and emotion in their first 50 AFL games as what Hayden Ballantyne has.

The diminutive forward is an inspiration to his fans and teammates alike, and he epitomises Ross Lyon’s mantra of 100 per cent effort, 100 per cent of the time. He ranked top 10 in almost every applied pressure category at Fremantle, and he kicked 31 goals – the third most at the club.

Ballantyne also ranked fourth at Freo for score involvements with a total of 125 for the season.

An addition to the leadership group in 2012, he will look to continue the upward curve in his career since his debut in 2009.

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The dynamic small forward had a solid 2011 season despite a couple of injury interruptions along the way. Ballantyne managed 17 games in which he kicked the third most goals at the club (23), ranked equal third for score assists (20) and had the fourth most inside 50s (59). He also had 22 running bounces, which was the third most at Freo. One of those bounces came in Ballantyne’s incredible round 2 goal against Geelong, for which he won the 2011 AFL Goal of the Year. The little man is a huge ingredient in Freo’s attacking plans for 2012.

The Freo crowd-favourite had a breakout year in 2010, stamping himself as a crucial member of the team. His pace, tackling and tenacity inside the attacking 50 was one of the main reasons behind Fremantle's improvement. Ballantyne’s goal celebrations ignited the fans and his teammates on many occasions throughout the season. Unfortunately, a foot injury in round 22 prevented him from taking part in the 2010 Finals Series but a super season nonetheless.