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Tom Boyd
Boyd playing for the Western Bulldogs in June 2017
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Boyd
Date of birth	(1995-08-22) 22 August 1995 (age 29)
Original team(s)	Eastern Ranges (TAC Cup) Norwood (EFL)
Draft	No. 1, 2013 national draft
Height	200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	103 kg (227 lb)
Position(s)	Key forward / ruckman
Playing career
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2014	Greater Western Sydney	09 0(8)
2015–2019	Western Bulldogs	52 (42)
Total		61 (50)
Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019.
Career highlights
AFL premiership player (2016) AFL Rising Star nominee: 2015
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Thomas Boyd (born 22 August 1995) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2013 AFL draft by the Greater Western Sydney Giants, but was traded to the Western Bulldogs following the 2014 season. In 2016, he helped the Bulldogs win their first premiership since 1954. After struggling with injuries and mental health, Boyd retired from AFL football in May 2019.

Early life

Boyd attended Luther College in Croydon Hills, Victoria and played junior football for the Norwood Football Club.

Playing for Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup from 2011 to 2013, Boyd was the competition's leading goal kicker in 2012 and later performed well for Vic Metro at the 2012 national carnival.

In April 2013, Boyd visited Copenhagen in his mother's native Denmark for three days as part of the AIS-AFL Academy tour.

AFL career

GWS Giants (2014)

Boyd was selected with the first overall pick in the 2013 AFL draft by the Greater Western Sydney Giants. In his reserves debut on 1 March 2014, Boyd kicked three goals and demonstrated his versatility with a stint in the ruck. He went on to make his senior debut on 20 April 2014 in the Giants' 137–72 loss to the Adelaide Crows; he managed just five disposals and didn't score. He finished the 2014 season with eight goals in nine games.

Western Bulldogs (2015–2019)

Trade request

After the 2014 session, Boyd requested a trade to the Western Bulldogs. Despite the Giants' initial stance that Boyd would not be traded under any circumstance, the club's agreed to a trade of Boyd for Ryan Griffen and pick 6 in the 2014 AFL draft. He signed a seven-year, $7 million contract with the Bulldogs.

2015 season

In his debut game for the Bulldogs on 4 April 2015, Boyd was well-held by Eagle Jeremy McGovern but managed to kick an important late goal to help his new club secure a Round 1 win over the West Coast Eagles. On 22 June 2015, he earned the AFL's Rising Star nomination for Round 12 after kicking four goals and recording eight marks in a win over the Brisbane Lions. Following a poor showing in the Bulldogs' Round 16 game against Geelong, Boyd was dropped from the senior squad and failed to be recalled to the AFL level for the rest of the season, playing out the year with the team's VFL side. He helped Footscray reach the VFL finals, kicking two goals in the team's semi-final loss to Essendon.

2016 season

Boyd's right shoulder was a constant problem for him throughout the 2016 season after he first aggravated it in the club's round four game against Carlton. The injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the first half of the season, after which he returned with the Bulldogs' VFL side, Footscray. He was in line to receive a recall to the AFL side for Round 15, but a drunken, "violent" altercation with teammate Zaine Cordy set him back. He was suspended indefinitely by the club on 30 June 2016 and fined $5,000. Boyd responded with a four-goal haul in Footscray's 12-point loss to Coburg on July 2. He returned to the AFL side in Round 17 and remained there for the rest of the year. He showed promise when he kicked three goals in the Bulldogs' loss to Geelong in Round 19. He went on to help the Bulldogs reach their first VFL/AFL grand final since 1961. In the 2016 Grand Final, Boyd completed a coming-of-age finals series with his highly influential aerial work, finishing the match with eight marks (six contested) and three goals. His third goal late in the fourth quarter from the centre square sealed the win for the Bulldogs, defeating the Sydney Swans by 22 points to become the first team to win a premiership from seventh on the ladder.

2017 season

Despite enjoying a breakthrough finals series in 2016, Boyd struggled to reproduce that form in 2017. Coach Luke Beveridge admitted he saw Boyd as a ruckman more than a key forward at this stage of his career. He kicked seven goals from 11 games, and averaged 20 hit-outs a game, before enduring a poor run of injury, missing round 12 with a back injury and rounds 14 and 15 with a calf injury. On 5 July 2017, Boyd was provided a leave of absence from the Bulldogs to receive treatment for clinical depression.

2018 season

Boyd's 2018 season was cut short by a back injury, as he was ruled out for the rest of the season after round 18.

2019 season

On 16 May 2019, having not played at the top level since round 18 in 2018 amid battles with injury and mental health, Boyd announced his immediate retirement from the AFL. Over his AFL career, he never played more than 15 games in a season.

Statistics

Honours and achievements

AFL

• Team
  • AFL premiership player: 2016
• Individual
  • AFL Rising Star nominee: 2015

TAC Cup

• Team
  • TAC Cup premiership player: 2013

Personal

Boyd has an Australian father, Geoff, and a Danish mother, Anita.

Boyd studied a Bachelor of Business at Victoria University, Melbourne.

References

1. Niall, Jake (1 December 2013). "AFL draftees at top of private school class". The Age. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
2. ^ Ryan, Conor (9 April 2013). "Team focus propels Tom Boyd". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
3. "Player statistics for Thomas Boyd". Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
4. ^ Zell, Alison (26 November 2013). "The Prince of Denmark". GWS Giants. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
5. McNicol, Adam (21 November 2013). "GIANTS pick Tom Boyd at No.1 in draft class of 2013". GWS Giants. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
6. Gaskin, Lee (2 March 2014). "No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd makes good debut for GWS reserves". The Age. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
7. "Crows Soar Over GIANTS". GWS Giants. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
8. ^ Schmook, Nathan (13 October 2014). "Giants forward Tom Boyd requests trade to Western Bulldogs". AFL. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
9. "Deal done, Tom Boyd a Bulldog". Western Bulldogs. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
10. Edmund, Sam (21 October 2014). "Tom Boyd confident he'll handle expectations at Western Bulldogs". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
11. "Poised Dogs outrun Eagles in fast-paced clash". AFL. 4 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
12. "Boyd's star rising". Western Bulldogs. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
13. "Beveridge urges patience with omitted forward Boyd". AFL. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
14. Jenkinson, Lance (19 August 2015). "Five-star Tom Boyd seals crucial Footscray win". Star Weekly. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
15. "Footscray Bowled Out by Bombers". Western Bulldogs. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
16. Rynne, Nick (12 December 2016). "Western Bulldogs big man Tom Boyd reveals extent of shoulder, ankle troubles during premiership-winning season". Perth Now. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
17. "Dogs suspend Boyd, Cordy after drunken fight". AFL. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
18. "Banned Dog fights for recall with impressive VFL performance". AFL. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
19. "Match report: Dogs dust Swans to snap 62-year drought". AFL. 1 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
20. Bowen, Nick (5 July 2017). "Boyd didn't consider walking away: Beveridge". AFL. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
21. "Tom Boyd to take leave of absence". Western Bulldogs. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
22. ^ Waterworth, Ben (21 January 2019). "AFL 2019: Tom Boyd still sidelined from full Bulldogs training due to lingering back issue". Fox Sports. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
23. "Tom Boyd announces shock retirement from the AFL". Yahoo!. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
24. "Tom Boyd announces AFL retirement". Western Bulldogs. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
25. "Tom Boyd Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
26. Twomey, Callum (17 May 2013). "Top draft chance Tom Boyd enjoys attention". AFL. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
27. "VU Guaranteed - Tom Boyd Interview". YouTube. Victoria University, Melbourne. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2021.

External links

• Tom Boyd's profile on the official website of the Western Bulldogs
• Tom Boyd's playing statistics from AFL Tables

• 1995 births
• Living people
• Australian people of Danish descent
• Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
• Eastern Ranges players
• Greater Western Sydney Giants players
• Western Bulldogs players
• Western Bulldogs premiership players
• VFL/AFL premiership players
• Victoria University, Melbourne alumni