North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw will work on Kyron Hayden’s technique in approaching AFL contests but has ticked off on the hard nut’s latest act of courage.
Hayden was floored in a collision with Richmond’s Tom Lynch and teammate Ben McKay in a marking contest as he went back with the flight of the ball during last week’s defeat to the Tigers.
The 21-year-old later conceded he was “rattled” by the hit but has since been cleared to take on Carlton at the Gabba on Saturday.
Shaw praised Hayden for inspiring the struggling Kangaroos, who have lost their last five matches.
“The hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you see stuff like that, especially at a time when we’re not going that great,” Shaw told reporters on Friday.
“The commitment he showed on numerous occasions the other night was fantastic but also there is a safety aspect to it.
“The technique probably wasn’t 100 per cent right and we’ll work through that with him, but his commitment to our team and his teammates was first class.”
Hayden ruptured his left Achilles on debut in round 15 last year – his second at the club – but has recovered to play six of the Kangaroos’ seven matches this season in a breakthrough campaign.
“I’m really proud of the turnaround that Kyron’s made,” Shaw said.
“He’s jumped up in our books and I couldn’t be happier with how he’s going.
“We’ve made sure this week that we’ve ticked all the boxes with him and made sure that he’s absolutely clear because he’s going to be an important part of what we do in the second part of this year.”
Meanwhile, Shaw says Majak Daw is “not far off” an AFL comeback after overcoming a torn pectoral muscle to feature in practice matches in recent weeks.
“He’s played in a couple of scratch matches and we chucked him in the ruck to get some match fitness, but it’s been pretty difficult to get the full exposure to game time because of the nature of the environment we’re in at the moment,” Shaw said.
“He’s training hard and he’ll certainly come into calculations at some stage.
“We’ve just got to make sure he’s 100 per cent right and ready to go.”
Daw has not played at senior level since suffering serious hip and pelvic injuries in a fall from the Bolte Bridge in December 2018.
His pending return will boost a North Melbourne side that has been ravaged by injury this season.
