Australian punting export Matthew Hayball has signed with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, six years after his original dream of playing in the AFL came to an end.
The West Adelaide product was a surprise pick by Geelong in the 2015 draft at a time when the Cats had loaded up on their premiership hopes by recruiting Patrick Dangerfield.
Hayball was selected as a project player given time to develop, having been so far off the radar that the AFL’s own website “had no information on him other than his name, age and club”.
Stream analysis, local footy and the biggest moments free on 7plus
He did his best to earn a shot from there, playing 50 VFL games for Geelong over the next three years.
Hayball was delisted at the end of 2018 without playing an AFL game — but that wasn’t the end of his athletic pursuits.
He linked up with punting academy Prokick Australia and joined Florida Atlantic University.
Three years with the NCAA Division I outfit were followed by a transfer to Vanderbilt University, where Hayball entered NFL calculations and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award as the best punter in college.
He will now get his chance at the big time with the Saints after signing a deal with a reported $35,000 guarantee and $10,000 signing bonus.
Hayball will compete for a spot on the New Orleans roster with incumbent punter Lou Hedley, an Australian who made headlines when he signed for the team last year.
Hedley, 30, was ranked last among all eligible punters in the NFL last season with an average punt of 43 yards.
Hedley had also been a Ray Guy Award finalist during his college career with the University of Miami.
Hayball leaves Vanderbilt as one of the team’s greatest punters.
He was their first All-American in any position since 2016, having been named to the second team, while he was voted first-team All-SEC punter.
He averaged 47.6 yards per punt in 2023.