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View Full Version : Tom Boyd hasn’t had your average career but at what stage do his 2016 Grand Final credits run out?



bornadog
29-06-2018, 12:37 PM
link (https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/western-bulldogs/tom-boyd-hasnt-had-your-average-career-but-at-what-stage-do-his-2016-grand-final-credits-run-out/news-story/23b59786802b2e23c3bf074003cbbc6f)

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/13afeb7abf3c8cafc7c577b7bad77918?width=650

PREMIERSHIP coach Luke Beveridge gave $6 million kid Tom Boyd a free pass.

About 45 minutes after Boyd’s priceless performance in the 2016 Grand Final, Beveridge declared he had paid his way.

How could he not? Boyd’s 29th game as a Western Bulldog will take some topping.
Shortly after Boyd dobbed his third goal from inside the centre square, Beveridge was asked whether he had graduated as a footballer.

“He can graduate, and he can go and throw his hat, and he can never come back and not play another game,” Beveridge said.

“He was unbelievable.”

As Beveridge placed a full stop on that answer he dropped his head into his hands in what appeared to be a mix of pride and disbelief.

On Friday night Boyd celebrates his 50th game in red, white and blue and is just over halfway through that seven-year contract.

Boy, what a curious career it has been.
When you combine the headlines from a No.1 draft pick, a blockbuster trade, a million-dollar contract, a pub fight with a teammate, a mental health battle, stints in the VFL and that Grand Final you get a turbulent ride.

Right now, there appear to be three burning questions for Boyd. Will he ever recapture that Grand Final form? What will his next contract look like? And will those premiership credits ever run out?

Footage of Boyd’s last-quarter celebration, as he ran with outstretched arms, will burn eternally as an iconic Grand Final moment.
As Toby McLean leapt on to Boyd’s shoulders he looked like a man ready to carry the Bulldogs for the next decade.

But 18 months on and Boyd remains a moments player. Last week against North Melbourne there was a contested mark and his 50th career goal in the third quarter.

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/6383fe44daea35ec56156cac8bcf5af7?width=650

Tom Boyd has a shot at goal. Picture: Michael KleinIn Boyd’s first AFL game this season there was a set-shot goal from 55m in the wet at Perth Stadium.

The 2018 version has sculpted a much more masculine build. Boyd boasts bigger shoulders and the look is complete with a darker tan, man bun and some prominent facial hair.
Boyd is bigger, but his presence has diminished.

Wayne Carey said Boyd should have won the Norm Smith Medal after he grabbed six contested marks.
Carey said that performance should’ve emboldened him. Instead Boyd has taken 12 contested marks from 20 games since.

Some days Boyd’s hands swallow the ball, some days they spit it out.
Boyd has played 49 games out of a possible 84 since arriving at Whitten Oval, a tick under 60 per cent.

There have been calls from Cameron Mooney and, recently, Tony Shaw to take a pay cut.

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/83e437de58b29fe7ffa42ba7bcf076a8?width=650

Luke Beveridge talks with Tom Boyd. Picture: Michael KleinAs Beveridge said on Grand Final day, Boyd was helpless to control the external pressures that have at times engulfed him.

“I challenge anyone in the room to knock back the contract we offered him,” Beveridge said.
“You wouldn’t knock it back. When we needed our players to find their very best performance he found his in a Grand Final. That was amazing.”

As a junior Boyd progressed through elite basketball programs and while he was billed as a hulking full-forward at draft time, it was the ruck where he starred in under-14s.

Eastern Ranges watchers remember a victory in Wangaratta, where Boyd went into the ruck in the third quarter and changed the game.

Boyd’s follow-up work was imposing and he was a big kid to get around. Former Ranges talent manager Anthony Parkin called for patience.

“I always thought he was going to be a really dominant AFL player and for a variety of reasons that hasn’t happened as of yet,” Parkin said.
“But he is only 22.”

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/c2dd845910bc2c7057666cc385c2e594?width=650

Tom Boyd battles Paddy Ryder in the ruck.Boyd dominated a Grand Final just 40 days after his 21st birthday and in his 29th game. Tom Hawkins first kicked three goals in a final at 23, in his 79th game and ninth final.

The AFL’s likely introduction of starting positions would also help Boyd.

“His timing to lead is really good, he just needs a little bit of space to get going,” Parkin said.
“That’s what the TAC Cup (rules) allowed.”

Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins wants Beveridge to isolate Boyd as a deep forward.
“He’s not a No.1 ruckman in my opinion. The good ruckman are going to get him,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins said Boyd was “real stiff” to not get the Norm Smith and said it was time to stay in a confined area to rediscover his high marking.

“We’ve seen glimpses of his marking ability — glimpses of it,” Hawkins said.

“Just go for the footy like it’s his footy. Don’t worry about anyone else — son, just go and win that footy.
“If one of your teammates is in the way, bad luck. Look at the ball and have your name written all over it and go and get it.”

Hawkins played in 350 games but only featured in two finals series.
“Boyd’s Grand Final was terrific,” Hawkins said.

“I would’ve loved to have played in a Grand Final. At the end of the day that’s what counts.”

Twodogs
29-06-2018, 02:35 PM
Is it 6 mil or 7 mil? The total seems to change with each retelling.

It was Buddy's 100th hame for the Swans last night and he is on a similiar contract? Tom has won one more flag with us than Buddy has with Sydney.

Total premierships with current team:

Boyd, Tom. (Western Bulldogs) 1

Franklyn, Lance. (Sydney Swans) 0

Dancin' Douggy
29-06-2018, 03:18 PM
Tom is 3 years younger than Ben Brown. So give him some time.

So he's not playing like a No 1 key forward pick...................or is he?

He's tracking about as good as Patton and McCartin and Schache (pick 2)

But I would like to see some serious focus on Tom's Marking technique.

In the north Melbourne game, every time Ben Brown took a mark, you could see his hand and fingers formed into a football sized bowl shape and his fingers spread wide and wrapping firmly round the ball like an ALIEN baby on an astronaut's face.

Tom flies for the ball with his hands flat and his fingers not spread wide enough. (this is not just because he had a dislocated finger, this is his usual technique)

It's a simple technique flaw, and very easy to fix. I know because I did it myself as a junior player. My technique changed, and overnight I was a much much better mark. In fact contested marking became the main strength of my game. It was my dad that taught me.

Look at Jezza's hands here. This is how it's done. You've got to spread your fingers wide and then really wrap your fingers round the ball, like you're trying to catch a live bird. You've got to clamp onto that thing.

I can't believe no-one at the club is tackling this. Fix his marking technique and he's a star.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi458yWkvjbAhVLQLwKHUR8AfEQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.carltonfc.com.au%2Fnews%2F2015-04-10%2Fafter-45-years-new-image-of-jezzas-mark-surfaces&psig=AOvVaw1mz-rDIkisFIlWE1PzKO2f&ust=1530336541073081

The reason There's no photo of Jezza is because no matter how TINY I save it, even when it's blurry postage stamp size blob, WOOF still always tells me it's too big. It's the reason why I've never created an avatar image too. But I see these beautiful big nice clear images all the time on woof. Like the ones in this article.
Confused of Flemington.

ratsmac
29-06-2018, 03:35 PM
Tom Boyd has been compared with Tom Hawkins often pretty much because they are both massive and were both drafted as big key position players. The articled does say how Hawkins was 23 and played 79 games on that Grand final day where he made his mark compared to Boyd 21 years old and 29 games.

Well Boyd still isn't as old as Hawkins was in that GF! It goes to show how maligned Boyd is with negative media directed at him and not taking in to account how young he still is. I am guilty of getting impatient at times with him too but I still believe he will be that goal kicking machine before too long. Playing in the ruck may be slowing his forward craft development but it is no doubt toughening him up. He has looked much more aggressive this year than he has in the past.

Dancin' Douggy
29-06-2018, 03:38 PM
Tom Boyd has been compared with Tom Hawkins often pretty much because they are both massive and were both drafted as big key position players. The articled does say how Hawkins was 23 and played 79 games on that Grand final day where he made his mark compared to Boyd 21 years old and 29 games.

Well Boyd still isn't as old as Hawkins was in that GF! It goes to show how maligned Boyd is with negative media directed at him and not taking in to account how young he still is. I am guilty of getting impatient at times with him too but I still believe he will be that goal kicking machine before too long. Playing in the ruck may be slowing his forward craft development but it is no doubt toughening him up. He has looked much more aggressive this year than he has in the past.

Another side benefit of him spending so much time in the ruck is the development of his tank.
Very dangerous to have a bloke that big that can repeat lead and double back and follow up and chase etc.

bornadog
29-06-2018, 03:41 PM
Another side benefit of him spending so much time in the ruck is the development of his tank.
Very dangerous to have a bloke that big that can repeat lead and double back and follow up and chase etc.

I also like the way he is working on second efforts when the ball hits the ground.

westdog54
29-06-2018, 03:52 PM
Another side benefit of him spending so much time in the ruck is the development of his tank.
Very dangerous to have a bloke that big that can repeat lead and double back and follow up and chase etc.

The commentators mentioned after last week's game that Ben Brown run further than any player on the ground on Saturday night.

This is the sort of workrate Tom is becoming capable of, and we'll owe it all to his time as a first ruck.

There might just be method in the madness after all.

Doc26
29-06-2018, 05:00 PM
I also like the way he is working on second efforts when the ball hits the ground.

It’s his damn hands when going for a mark that is so horribly wrong.

Unfortunately he seems to have been born with the old footy Clapper for hands.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ts0hminfysetrrn/Photo%2029-6-18%2C%204%2052%2029%20pm.jpg?raw=1

Greystache
29-06-2018, 05:20 PM
It’s his damn hands when going for a mark that is so horribly wrong.

Unfortunately he seems to have been born with the old footy Clapper for hands.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ts0hminfysetrrn/Photo%2029-6-18%2C%204%2052%2029%20pm.jpg?raw=1

It's a pretty simple technique thing to fix, but being simple and technical you can be sure we've made no effort to improve it. It's probably one of those things that will fix itself as he gets older.

Twodogs
29-06-2018, 06:19 PM
It's a pretty simple technique thing to fix, but being simple and technical you can be sure we've made no effort to improve it. It's probably one of those things that will fix itself as he gets older.


Like kicking technique. That will obviously sort itself out with no input from the coaches as well.

bulldogtragic
29-06-2018, 06:54 PM
The first thing I think of is The Simpsons. Decades ago, Homer is sitting opposite Mindy and opens up a fortune cookie about finding happiness in a new love. Then it cuts to the Chinese restaurant staff, saying they've run out of those fortune cookies, and to open the 'stick with your wife barrel'.

It feels like The Hun journos must be completely lost and devoid of new interesting information to express in any edition any week, so they get all desperate, and the editors open up the 'stick with Tom Boyd contract size barrel' fortune cookies for the journo's inspiration.

comrade
29-06-2018, 07:03 PM
The first thing I think of is The Simpsons. Decades ago, Homer is sitting opposite Mindy and opens up a fortune cookie about finding happiness in a new love. Then it cuts to the Chinese restaurant staff, saying they've run out of those fortune cookies, and to open the 'stick with your wife barrel'.

It feels like The Hun journos must be completely lost and devoid of new interesting information to express in any edition any week, so they get all desperate, and the editors open up the 'stick with Tom Boyd contract size barrel' fortune cookies for the journo's inspiration.

Exxxxcellent.

The Underdog
29-06-2018, 08:27 PM
Still, it’d be nice if he’d hold onto a mark.

comrade
29-06-2018, 08:28 PM
Still, it’d be nice if he’d hold onto a mark.

That right there is why Bevo won't play him as a stay at home forward. How can he when Boyd is no more than a 10-20% chance of taking even uncontested overhead marks,

bulldogtragic
29-06-2018, 08:32 PM
Still, it’d be nice if he’d hold onto a mark.

True. Although it occurred to me Tom is graded on his ruck minutes, as a first ruck. And graded as a KPF, when he's forward.

Almost every ruckman would not be held to the same KPF forward standards, nor as a forward held to first ruck standards. He's not both, if anything by spreading him thin, he's neither in stage of his development. I can't think of too many other players in the league that get graded on being a first ruck and also a KPF. Not saying your making it, I was thinking about a comparison Carey made earlier.

But yeah, he should take some grippo off Gowers jumper.

bulldogtragic
29-06-2018, 08:33 PM
That right there is why Bevo won't play him as a stay at home forward. How can he when Boyd is no more than a 10-20% chance of taking even uncontested overhead marks,

To be fair, that was contested. If not for the slight touch from the Geeling defender, he would've got the second bite. But again, he needs to take some grippo off Gowers jumper.

comrade
29-06-2018, 08:48 PM
To be fair, that was contested. If not for the slight touch from the Geeling defender, he would've got the second bite. But again, he needs to take some grippo off Gowers jumper.

He got 2 hands to it uncontested. The bobble allowed the (smaller) defender to kill it.

If he had anything resembling an AFL standard ability to mark a ball, it would have been a pretty straight forward grab.

bulldogtragic
29-06-2018, 08:50 PM
He got 2 hands to it uncontested. The bobble allowed the (smaller) defender to kill it.

If he had anything resembling an AFL standard ability to mark a ball, it would have been a pretty straight forward grab.

As I said, take some of Gowers grippo. But Tom is doing a lot of positive things tonight.

Topdog
29-06-2018, 10:48 PM
Was a wonderful handball to Gowers for that goal

bornadog
29-06-2018, 10:49 PM
Great game from him tonight, especially around the ground

bulldogtragic
29-06-2018, 10:54 PM
Was the team leader for contested possession all night until the last 5-8 minutes. Leading by example with 10 of his 17 contested with his 31 hit outs.

Such a smart 1%er to set up Gowers for the match sealer too.

boydogs
30-06-2018, 12:58 AM
Good effort tonight, against Geelong's weak ruck division but battled all day and had some important touches

westdog54
30-06-2018, 08:43 AM
Was the team leader for contested possession all night until the last 5-8 minutes. Leading by example with 10 of his 17 contested with his 31 hit outs.

Such a smart 1%er to set up Gowers for the match sealer too.

Even my wife said "that was smart the way he kept that in".

kruder
01-07-2018, 01:34 PM
There seems to be a lot of goodwill around Boyd from the majority of supporters loving that he is out there week in week out grinding the improvement will continue. Can anyone work out his Marking technique with the flat hands? I can’t remember seeing it before. For mine he is a few marks from being spoken about externally in a really positive light.

I still think when he drifts forward our players continue to miss him. Dahl in the last quarter on Friday night had him 40m out and instead went to the pocket. It happens frequently.

Rocket Science
01-07-2018, 05:26 PM
Tom's marking technique reminds me of the action volleyball players use at the net to defend against a spike.

Any wonder the ball comes off his hands accordingly.

bulldogtragic
01-07-2018, 06:54 PM
There seems to be a lot of goodwill around Boyd from the majority of supporters loving that he is out there week in week out grinding the improvement will continue. Can anyone work out his Marking technique with the flat hands? I can’t remember seeing it before. For mine he is a few marks from being spoken about externally in a really positive light.

I still think when he drifts forward our players continue to miss him. Dahl in the last quarter on Friday night had him 40m out and instead went to the pocket. It happens frequently.

There's at least once or twice a game he's in an advantageous position and is overlooked for a bad option. I'd like to blame the fact midfielders might be unsure of his leading patterns, but some decisions seem to voluntary choices to avoid him (being they had time to weigh their choices up). Hopefully we can sort this out, before The Hun start running back page stories saying his financially poor team mates won't kick it to him out of jealousy...

Mofra
04-07-2018, 01:22 PM
There's at least once or twice a game he's in an advantageous position and is overlooked for a bad option. I'd like to blame the fact midfielders might be unsure of his leading patterns, but some decisions seem to voluntary choices to avoid him (being they had time to weigh their choices up). Hopefully we can sort this out, before The Hun start running back page stories saying his financially poor team mates won't kick it to him out of jealousy...
I'm not certain, but from this year I thought Bonti overtook him as hour highest paid player anyway.

I guess the one advantage of being more of a 'draft and develop' club is that you rarely lose players due to salary cap constraints.

Axe Man
04-07-2018, 01:57 PM
The reason There's no photo of Jezza is because no matter how TINY I save it, even when it's blurry postage stamp size blob, WOOF still always tells me it's too big. It's the reason why I've never created an avatar image too. But I see these beautiful big nice clear images all the time on woof. Like the ones in this article.
Confused of Flemington.

Is this what you were after Douggy?
https://s8.postimg.cc/avpg3zuhx/Jezza5_Image.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/5x1xpgqox/)

Have a look at this thread:
https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?374-How-To-Post-Pictures

I use https://postimages.org/. Upload the image and then copy the hotlink for forums link and paste into your post.

jeemak
04-07-2018, 05:59 PM
Jezza didn't take that grab in the hands anyway.

Dancin' Douggy
04-07-2018, 07:31 PM
Jezza didn't take that grab in the hands anyway.

I KNEW someone was gonna say that. It makes no difference. This is the correct technique. This picture just illustrates it very clearly.
The fact that Jezza took this particular mark on his chest is completely beside the point.

Twodogs
04-07-2018, 07:47 PM
I wonder why Jezza, while he is hovering 7 foot off the ground with both knees perched in Jerker Jenkins' back, suddenly thinks to himself "nup bugger hands out in front, I'm taking this one on the chest" To drive Ron Barassi mad maybe? Or he just knew that he was pretty unlikely to be spoiled from behind way up there in the stratosphere?

Dancin' Douggy
04-07-2018, 09:40 PM
He was suddenly higher than he expected to be. He had his hands set to fly for an overhead mark and suddenly he gets the huge boost from the Jerker, and the ball lands in his midriff.