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Is Tom Boyd ready to blossom?

21st January, 2016
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It's time for Tom Boyd 's potential to pay off. (Photo:Michael Willson)
Roar Guru
21st January, 2016
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2407 Reads

Whenever a player is drafted with pick one in the draft a certain level of pressure and expectation comes along with that. Just ask Jack Watts.

This was the reality for Tom Boyd when Greater Western Sydney called his name out with pick one in the 2013 draft.

Entering his third year at AFL level, many will hope Boyd starts to fulfill his potential. The Western Bulldogs invested heavily in Boyd as a long-term prospect when they traded for him at the end of the 2014 season.

It is not very often a player is traded before his first AFL contract has been served. Boyd, however, after only one year at GWS, requested a trade back home to Victoria.

The Giants facilitated the trade after initially declaring a move would not take place. Many pundits at the time felt the trade had benefits for both teams.

GWS gained pick six and Ryan Griffen, while the Western Bulldogs got the key forward they were so desperately craving. Who will win this trade long-term remains to be seen, but what did raise eyebrows was Boyd signing a seven-year deal worth more than $6 million dollars.

While it is a great show of faith from the Western Bulldogs, it is the kind of salary that is generally reserved for the elite players of the competition.

Key position players generally take time to develop and Boyd certainly falls into this category. In his first year at the Bulldogs, Boyd played 14 games for a modest return of 16 goals.

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Still only 20 years of age it is perhaps unrealistic to expect Boyd to come out and dominate with bags of goals and he still has only 23 games to his name at AFL level. Patience will be key as he develops his trade.

Boyd played the best game of his short career in the Round 12 fixture last season against Brisbane, kicking four goals and earning a Rising Star nomination.

Unfortunately, this was not a catalyst for the second half of the season. After being dropped following a poor game in Round 16, Boyd spent the rest of the season in the VFL.

So how will Tom Boyd fare in season 2016? After having a taste of AFL football over the past two years, Boyd will be hoping to cement himself in the Western Bulldogs line-up.

The Bulldogs are already preparing for 2016 without key forward and ex-Essendon player Stewart Crameri who was one of the 34 players to receive a 12-month suspension for the upcoming season.

The misfortune of someone missing due to injury or suspension is not ideal but it does provide an opportunity for Boyd in the forward line. Maybe 2016 will be the year that Tom Boyd begins to shine.

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