The name Lenny Hayes became synonymous with St Kilda.

Tough, fearless and loyal to a fault, the legendary No. 7 stole the hearts of football fans everywhere across a glittering 16-year career in the red, white and black.

And on Thursday 7 March, the much-loved Saint will be officially inducted into the St Kilda Football Club’s Hall of Fame.

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A three-time Trevor Barker Award-winner, three-time All Australian, two-time captain of the Saints and the club’s sole Norm Smith medallist, Hayes’ list of footballing accolades was surpassed only by his unrivalled courage.

And you need look no further than his debut against North Melbourne in 1999, when the then 19-year-old’s actions offered a perfect snapshot of what was to come throughout his entire career.

With his head over the footy, Lenny trailed a bouncing ball along the boundary line before an oncoming steam train in the form of Glenn Archer mowed straight through the kid in a savage, bone-crunching collision.

Archer’s mass of muscle and shinboner spirit looked enough to knock any player out cold, let alone the then diminutive figure of the debutant, but Hayes quite literally bounced back up off the turf onto his feet, pushed away the concerned club doctor and played on.

The call of retiring commentating great Sandy Roberts summed it up best:

He’s a tough cookie, this youngster.”

Lenny was a man who simply played without fear.

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His brutal tackle and physicality at the contest were traits perfectly complemented by his trademark step and impeccable ball use; they formed the recipe for a consistent, tough, elite midfielder and it showed.

Across 297 games in the red, white and black, Hayes became known as the Saints’ ‘spiritual leader’, a mantle which didn’t sit well with the famously modest, camera-shy superstar.

It’s rare that a player is so universally loved by everyone in football, but for St Kilda’s newest Hall of Fame inductee, it still rings true today: everyone loves Lenny.