120 - Congratulations Lenny Hayes - the footballer AND the man

As a team mate of Lenny Hayes in junior Sydney football, every weekend crowds oohed and aahed at Lenny the footballer as he smoothly sidesteped his way around half the opposition on his way to kicking a goal, but what stood out for me was how he would shake hands with opposition players before and after the game. So on his announcement of his retirement from AFL football - congratulations Lenny for a stellar football career, but also for being a REALLY good bloke.

I was 9 years old when I first played footy with Lenny at the Pennant Hills Junior AFL Club, and I remember him walking up to his opponent before the game, looking him in the eye, holding out his hand and saying "good luck mate" before shaking the kids hand. At the end of the game, Lenny looked around the field for the same kid, saw him down the other end, ran over to him, shook his hand again and said "Good game mate." Lenny had just had about 40 touches and kicked 5 goals, so it was probably a bit easier to be gracious in victory.

So it was no surprise that when St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt was asked about Lenny's legacy at St Kilda, he was as complimentary of Lenny Hayes the man as he was about  Lenny Hayes the footballer. Riewold said about Lenny: 

"He's just the ultimate teammate, the ultimate player and ... off the field he's the nicest, best guy and most fiercely loyal guy that you would ever meet," he said. "Of all the people I've ever met in football, he's the best person and the best player as well."

At the announcement of his retirement just short of playing his 300th game for St Kilda, a lot of people in the room wore "I (heart) Lenny" commemorative T-shirts, which didn't fit with his modest request to limit fanfare.

"I asked the club if this could be fairly low-key, and it didn't really turn out that way, did it?" Lenny said.

Lenny's modesty is one of the main reasons thousands of Australians (heart) him, so while basking in the attention and the constant messages of adulation his retirement brings, I hope that when he gets a quiet second he acknowledges that he is a really good man.

Well done Lenny.