Senior football isn’t completely new to Haynes. During his two seasons at Richmond he tasted senior action on five occasions, however he was the first to admit he suffered from a bout of pre-game jitters. “I was pretty nervous before the match. I think I used up a lot of nervous energy in the first 10 minutes, but once I got a few touches I was okay,” Haynes said after the match.
The coaching panel elected to start Haynes on the ground, a move the former Richmond player greatly appreciated. “It was good of Sheeds to start me on the game. I think that helped with the nerves because I could just get out there and concentrate on getting a touch,” Haynes said. Haynes did have an impact early and the Carlton coaching panel was quick to respond to his early influence and moved Simon Beaumont onto him.
Haynes played across half-forward and also on the wing. He finished with 14 disposals for the game and kicked one goal. The Essendon rookie said he noticed a big difference in the standard and speed of AFL football compared to VFL. “The pace was a lot quicker than the VFL and the players are a lot bigger and stronger,” Haynes said.
The only injury to come out of the match today was the ankle injury to Adam Ramanauskas. He rolled his ankle mid-way through the second quarter and took no further part in the match. Ramanauskas will have scans on Monday to check the extent of damage. At this stage it looks like he will miss at least one week.
