A punctured lung and hamstring injury held the 28-year-old back in 2008, but it was a broken leg in 2004 that most threatened his playing career after being elevated off Fremantle's rookie list in 2002.
Hayden is now an indispensable part of a rebuilding Fremantle, but he said his career was far from guaranteed when he broke his leg in the second last game of the 2004 season.
"You think 'Can I get back or not'," Hayden said from Fremantle Oval on Tuesday.
"But I had my family around me, my wife and at the time my little boy. Just having them around me had my confidence up so they told me, 'Just keep your head up, you're going to get back', and it worked out in the end.
"It has taken awhile, but I’m happy to get there."
Hayden had played 42 games at the time of the injury and missed the entire 2005 season. He's missed a total of 53 games since debuting in 2002, but said to now have his milestone fall on Indigenous Round was a nice coincidence.
"It's a good concept by the AFL to bring it in, considering we have over 80 indigenous players in the AFL now," Hayden said.
"Over the last few years, you can see the number of players being drafted from an indigenous background has skyrocketed."
Hayden credits backyard footy with his brother for his polished skills and notes Nicky Winmar as a boyhood idol.
Peter Matera and Chris Lewis were also favourites while Hayden was growing up a West Coast supporter and he says the speed and flair that typified those footballers is what people love about the indigenous contribution to the game.
"Teams love seeing that and supporters love seeing that too, so I think you're going to see a lot more [indigenous players] coming up in the future," he said.
Electrifying draftee Stephen Hill is the player at Fremantle with that sort of potential and Hayden said the 19-year-old was on track to be a very good footballer.
"You've just got to take those young blokes and guide them and make sure they do everything right to become one of the top, elite players in the competition," he said.
"He has the potential to do that. He's got a good head on his shoulders.
"He's taken every step as it comes and hopefully he does become one of those players for us."
