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.
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.
mattyb
Guest
Well MF,even good old Danny would surely be optimistic about this list.The main reason some are predicting a slide is because of Port Adelaide.Anybody who wants to touch on that theory is living on Drip St. What on earth would port have to do with us.Big year approaching Mister F. Let's see if this dude doing the clubs reports,he is finally up to us next,tries to run the Port Hogwash story by us.We are not Port Mister F and the boys will do us proud.
mattyb
Guest
C'mon Col,surely your better than that.Disappointing to lose Harbrow to the expansion rules but Ward was horrible for us,a Yarraville boy to,loved the club.Keep it above the belt mate :)
Macca
Guest
Mattyb - Gibbs is no Boyd yet - but has plenty of time to get there - and you did say no to Kreuzer - but that decision is yet to be shown a good one. On the names - a simple google search will tell you all you need to know.
mattyb
Guest
Yep it makes little sense macca,spike and co is your invention so you obviously like it. Gibbs is no Boyd or Morris and Kruezer we looked at and said no.Names are fun though Macca so I want to stay Chester who thinks spike is cool even though I have no idea who they are.
Macca
Guest
Don - Unfortunately I doubt I would be able to express it in a manner in which you would be able to comprehend - I can't post crayon pictures. You really do have to work on your comprehension skills.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
The Coodabeens based their Danny from Droop St character on me (as it happens, I actually spent the first two years of my life in a house in Droop St).
Don Freo
Guest
Do you want to try re-expressing that? It make very little sense.
Macca
Guest
Don - The discussion was about Tom BOyd - you & Mattyb chaged teh topic and Matty and I have been discussing the new topic for some time now - conversations move on and the fact is you are about 24 hours behind. And no one wnats Spike and Chester - but they contnue to turn up regrdless - it is good to see that we at least have got to the part of the show where Chester has become the lead Dog and Spike has become irrelevant.
Macca
Guest
mattyb - "By the way you forgot to mention Betts,a huge loss.Yes he wanted more money but poor list manager there." and yet I said this back at 2.27 "the year before it was just Eddie Betts who left because Malthouse spent all his money on getting Thomas – just another legacy of the Malthouse disaster" As for the rivalry - if we look forward 5 years the blues would have Murphy, Gibbs & Kreuzer in the same bracket as Boyd, Murphy & Morris on your current list (just a little younger) and with Weitering, McKay, Curnow Cunningham (who looks quality) plus Cripps, Graham, Buckley, Plowman & Jaksch plus whoever we draft in the next few years (at least a couple of top 10s) and we should be finals bound.
Don Freo
Guest
Hey Macca...the discussion is about Tom Boyd. If you want Spike and Chester, anything goes. Stick with the programme.
Col from Brissie
Guest
Mattyb, and I forgot to mention Callan Ward and Jarrod Harbrow who also left for more money. I do like your optimism though and it is the same optimism that I, Macca and other Carlton supporters have about our clubs future.
mattyb
Guest
By the way you forgot to mention Betts,a huge loss.Yes he wanted more money but poor list manager there. I can see a rivalry with Carlton eventually I suppose Macca but Carlton is a few years off,even you say you are looking forward to development more than success this year and perhaps next.If Carlton are up and running ready to stop the doggies from their fifth or sixth flag on the trot it will be a great game,to soon to make a tip though,a lot could happen.Big things beckon for the dogs and I hope Carlton can improve.
Macca
Guest
Don Freo - Losing a lot of games is a problem that needs fixing - however that isn't the rpoblem that Mattyb was talking about, I would have thought you could have worked that one out if you had read this "To ask why so many players leave Carlton is a fair football question.I have my reasons as to why but it doesn’t mean they’re right but it is a question Carlton needs to ask,especially before The Dockers get to close to Cripps." If you can't keep up with the discussion try and stay out of it. Mattyb - "maybe I’m wrong then but Carlton seem to lose a lot of players" That is the difference between perception and reality. I see the bulldogs and the blues establishing quite a rivalry in the later part of this decade and the early part of the next - the blues are a couple of years behind you now but with the building blocks we put in place this year and another couple of good drafts over the next 2 we will be snapping at your heels.
Col from Brissie
Guest
Don Freo
Guest
Macca, losing almost every game is a problem that needs fixing. I thought you might work that one out. Set him straight, Col.
mattyb
Guest
Col and Macca,maybe I'm wrong then but Carlton seem to lose a lot of players but I'll take your word for it as you boys stick fat and I respect that.Jones time was up,we may have offered him a poor contract but we certainly were not keen to keep him.Your call on Jones that he can come good Macca,I admit,is correct,but as we would all agree chances are slim but good luck to the lad.All Footscray fans admit 2014 wasn't pretty but we have fixed that quickly.I'll leave it there as my opinions on the inside running of Carlton is well known to you blokes yet I accept and expect you guys to know more about your own club than me. For the record,I could be a tad biased,some references made over the years by Carlton hierarchy towards my club has been well out of line.I wish your club well over the season and hope you will understand and enjoy any banter we may have about the blue baggers during the up coming season.
Macca
Guest
Col - It seems mattyb is having his usual trouble with reality. So the score is 5 blues wanting out in 3 years (1 due to family illness) 5 bulldogs wanting out in 2014 alone. Where is this big problem that needs fixing?
Col from Brissie
Guest
mattyb, Liam Jones informed the Bulldogs after the 2014 VFL grand Final he wanted to explore his trade options. In fact the Bulldogs had tabled a new contract for Jones but he later advised them of his intentions to seek a trade. I don't see that as the Bulldogs "moving him on".
Macca
Guest
mattyb -You moved Tutt on? Is that why he had to go to the extraordinary lengths of delisting himself? And as per ususal you completely miss the point - it isn't the quality of the Bulldogs players that wanted to leave but the fact that the Bulldogs had 4 players want to leave last year (I'll give you Jones). Again that isn't abnormal but it also supports my argument that the blues haven't had an extraordinary number of players wanting to leave in recent times. You have made an assertion that the blues need to fix a problem - all I am asking you to do is establish that the problem exists in the first place. If we look at the last 3 year the blues have had Yarran, Henderson & Bell want to leave this year - the first 2 were chased by opposition clubs and got the blues very good draft picks in exchange (much higher than you or many others expected) and Bell has a sick father back in QLD, the year before Waite was the only player who wanted to leave - because the blues wouldn't guarantee a 31 year old who hadn't played more than 16 games in a year since 2008 a second year of his contract but instead had a trigger when he played 16 games it became automatic and the year before it was just Eddie Betts who left because Malthouse spent all his money on getting Thomas - just another legacy of the Malthouse disaster. But unless I am forgetting someone that is just 5 players who wanted to leave over 3 years -compare to the Bulldogs 4 just last year - so where is the problem? On Jones - clearly he is a bust at the moment but new coach and a new year could turn things around - I doubt it but who knows. "Remember though both the coach and football manager were also moved on by the board because of that fiasco and is part of the reason the bulldog dynasty,the likes of which has never been seen before,is well and truelly on it’s way" Remember the blues have also moved on a coach and changed CEO's (and presidents) in the last 18 months and have loaded up on top end talent - so again the similarities are striking.
mattyb
Guest
Tutt and Jones didn't want to leave,they had their chances and we moved them on.Your loyalty to Carlton is wonderful Macca and full credit to you for that,but surely not even you are going to suggest that Liam Jones is a good footballer,and Tutts not much better.I will give Jones full credit for making it to AFL level,but as a recruit to Carlton would you consider it boom or bust? Cooneys knees are bust and the Griffin thing was poor.Remember though both the coach and football manager were also moved on by the board because of that fiasco and is part of the reason the bulldog dynasty,the likes of which has never been seen before,is well and truelly on it's way