Thomas Boyd Biography

Tom Boyd has backs Jason Horne-Francis to make the right decision for his career after the 2021 No.1 pick requested a trade from North Melbourne.

Boyd is familiar with the situation the young midfielder faces, having been the last No.1 draft pick to request a trade after only one year in the league when he moved from the Giants to the Bulldogs in 2014.

"Players do have the right to make decisions that they deem best for their overall career," Boyd said.

"Football is a short game. The average career span is three-and-a-half years and you do need to capitalise financially and in a sense accomplish as much as you can in that short period.

"I think, as long as he has sound advice around him and people in his corner that are telling him the harsh truths about the fact that being traded as the no.1 pick, such as I was, does come with certain burdens and challenges."

Tom Boyd opens up about the mental health issues that plagued him during his AFL career, recounting the moment he hit rock bottom during the month of July in 2017.

"My body wasn't going to handle it and my mind couldn't handle it. And I couldn't go on that merry-go-round I'd been going on," Boyd said.

"That was the last time I felt so hopeless that I couldn't comprehend anything good happening in my life. That was some two-and-half years ago and it's been a general uphill slope since then.

"I'll never forget that day because, at the end of my story, for all the good things that have happened and all the bad things that have happened, if I hadn't have made that choice then to ask for help, I'm not sure what the next chapter would've been. That was the hardest day of my life."

Boyd called time on his career in May 2019 with two years left on a lucrative contract.

"Consistently and constantly without trying I've bucked the trend and done things differently. Not because I wanted to be different, just because I was trying to be who I was and I was trying to work out who I was," he said.

"It's so satisfying not trying to squeeze everyone into a profile that doesn't fit a lot of people. That's where I got my identify crisis from to a degree. Now I have the option to choose."

Tom Boyd provides a fascinating insight into why his career ended far sooner than expected, saying there were far more significant factors than his mental health.

"I was significantly physically unable because of my lack of pre-season and lack of desire to do the things I needed to do to perform at a high level, and that led me to being a hell of a long way to being back to playing my best footy, and I didn't feel like I wanted to get back there," Boyd said.

"For a long period of time, I hadn't enjoyed it, and I tried to change a lot of stuff.

"There's always that great quote from Einstein about what's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results, and at some point, I got to the stage where I was like 'It's not fair me going home to (girlfriend) Anna three out of four days not happy with footy. It's just not fair.'"

Tom Boyd has been given the all-clear to play suburban football with mates at Norwood in the Eastern Football League.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge gets emotional while paying tribute to the impact of retiring forward Tom Boyd.

Beveridge spoke openly and needed a moment to gather himself as he explained the raw nature of having to farewell the 23-year-old from Whitten Oval.

"When you reflect on Tom's career, there is lots of emotions. At the end of '16 we thought the footy world was Tom's oyster, and we didn't see the black dog creeping up on him," Beveridge said.

"It's sad because of what could've been in his footy career, but since then he's had some enormous struggles.

"I'm really proud of the way everyone has supported Tom and how Tom's carried himself. We've done our best to protect him for the most part, and obviously he had an enormous impact in those couple of years where he was endeavouring to bring his absolute best at the highest level of this game."

Tom Boyd announces his retirement from AFL football at the age of just 23, effective immediately.

"When you playing at the elite level, there's a physical and mental requirement to perform at your best all of the time," Western Bulldogs director of football Chris Grant said at Whitten Oval.

"There's no opportunity to hide from that. You're evaluated every time you step out on the field and the combination of that has been really difficult for Tom over a period of time.

"In a lot of ways, what we've seen over the last 24 hours – particularly this morning with Tom – is a sense of relief. I think that indicates that Tom's made the right decision.

"You don't get a chance of just floating through this game. If you're going to do it, you've got to do it to the absolute best of your ability both on and off the field.

"Tom believes that he's not capable of doing that anymore, so he's been incredibly honest about it."

According to official figures to be released by the AFL in its 2018 Annual Report, six AFL players earned more than $1 million in 2018.

Richmond's Dustin Martin, Fremantle's Nathan Fyfe, Sydney's Lance Franklin, Tom Lynch (Gold Coast in 2018), GWS' Jeremy Cameron and Western Bulldogs' Tom Boyd are believed to be the six.

West Coast's Nic Naitanui is likely to have earned more than $900,000, and Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury, while not earning as much as previous seasons, would also have been around this range.

A lingering back complaint continues to hamper Western Bulldog Tom Boyd's pre-season, placing his start to the season in doubt.

Boyd has failed to train alongside teammates in the main group over the past two days as he works through symptoms from the injury that ended his 2018 campaign after round 18.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is incensed with journalist Damian Barrett inferring that the club may have fabricated a back injury to Tom Boyd to explain his omission from the team to face Melbourne.

Boyd has had a well-documented battle with mental health issues over the past 12 months, and only returned to the senior side in round five after being sidelined with the condition since the middle of 2017.

"I think (the column is) disgraceful," Beveridge said.

"With mental health such a significantly sensitive issue in our game, for (Barrett) to infer we were making up (Boyd's) injury and that there is something else wrong, and why (he) would even go there, just shows what we're dealing with.

"Whoever contracts and employs (Barrett), I'm inquisitive to know what the driver is from a moralistic point of view, and a contentious point of view - there's not much there."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says Tom Boyd is psychologically and physically prepared to play his first senior match since taking time away from the game last year to deal with mental health issues.

"Tom's very enthusiastic and never been more determined, and that's a great sign when you're coming from a fair way back from a mental health point of view," Beveridge said.

"He had a really strong pre-season, but it's just taken him a little bit of time to find the footy and produce some good form, so it's great, it's fantastic."

Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood says Tom Boyd has not been selected in the opening three rounds of the 2018 season because his form does not warrant it.

"His best football is incredible and we want to get him back to that as soon as we possibly can. He'll be a great help to our team at that level," Wood said.

"It's just a form thing. Sometimes you just can't find it."

A record nine players earned more than $1 million in 2017 as the rich got richer under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Lance Franklin is understood to have been one of the competition's highest-paid players last season, with Tom Boyd, Scott Pendlebury, Nathan Fyfe and then Gold Coast teammates Gary Ablett and Tom Lynch widely believed within industry circles to have also earned seven-figure salaries.

It is likely some of 2017's millionaires are on contracts wherein their average yearly salary is less than $1 million, but their deals were front- or back-ended last season to top seven figures. Sources identified Dayne Beams and Michael Hurley as players in this category.

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and teammate Dion Prestia would also have been among the AFL's top earners in 2017.

Tom Boyd makes an encouraging return from his mental illness battles with a three-goal performance in the VFL.

"We were happy with the way he performed but it wasn't really about that, it was about him getting out there and enjoying himself," Western Bulldogs development manager Rohan Smith said.

"The way that he approached the game by getting around his teammates, using his voice and helping out our younger players was great."

Tom Boyd returns to training with the Bulldogs after taking leave to deal with clinical depression.

Fellow big man and Bulldogs teammate Travis Cloke played in the VFL last Sunday after dealing with his own mental health issues and booted three goals against Sandringham.

Tom Boyd takes an extended leave of absence for from the Bulldogs to receive treatment for clinical depression.

"He's optimistic that he's going to be OK and he's got a future in the game, which is great from a footballing perspective," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"But I think he's settled from a mental health perspective, he's in a better place, so as soon as we get on top of all that with him and work our way through it then he'll come back into the program and venture on."

Tom Boyd is under an injury cloud after leaving Etihad Stadium in the Good Friday clash against North Melbourne following a head clash.

Boyd was involved in a collision with opponent Scott Thompson in the first quarter and came from the ground immediately with the help of trainers.

He returned shortly thereafter, but further assessment at quarter-time saw him removed for the rest of the match.

Boyd had significant swelling around his left eye socket, but Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he was confident the 21-year-old would be available to face the Brisbane Lions next week.

"He seemed OK initially and then had some of that delayed concussion that you can't detect straight away," Beveridge said.

"He seemed coherent early and fine, and our doctors made the right call and took him out of the game."

Lance Franklin and Tom Boyd are widely believed to be among the competition's highest paid players.

Franklin was paid about $700,000 in each of his first two seasons at Sydney, but his salary is understood to have risen to at least seven figures in 2016.

Boyd crossed to the Bulldogs from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2014 on a seven-year deal worth about $7 million.

The 2013 draft's No.1 pick earned about $140,000 under standardised second-year player wages and match payments in his first year at the Whitten Oval, but that amount spiked markedly in 2016.

Gary Ablett also earned at least $1 million in 2016, while Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe, Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui were widely seen by industry sources as earning close to that mark.

After recovering from off-season shoulder and ankle operations, Tom Boyd says he's ready to build on his starring role in the Western Bulldogs' fairytale premiership triumph.

"(The shoulder) is feeling better than ever now that I've had the reconstruction done and I can't wait to get back into games," Boyd said.

"(Surgeon) Greg Hoy did a terrific job, and to the medical staff's credit they really looked after me last year and got me through until the end (of the season), which was a significant challenge.

"I think the whole back end of the year was a real growing experience for me and I felt more and more comfortable out on the field.

"I take great confidence in how I finished the year."

Western Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney says moving into a ruck role may have been the catalyst for Tom Boyd's outstanding Grand Final performance.

With Jordan Roughead succumbing to a nasty eye injury in the second quarter of the Bulldogs' preliminary final against GWS, Boyd was left to ruck solo against Shane Mumford and Rory Lobb.

"He'd shown some really positive signs over the last few weeks," McCartney said.

"He wasn't able to string consistent performances together earlier in the year, but he's just built beautifully over the last few weeks.

"Putting him in the ruck, it's such a combative position, and it's given him a lot of confidence."

Tom Boyd picks the perfect time to have his breakout game, kicking three goals, including the last-quarter sealer, in the Bulldogs' Grand Final win against Sydney.

Boyd has been much-maligned since joining the Bulldogs and praised the support of coach Luke Beveridge as a huge factor in his ability to perform on the big stage.

"There's a lot of support out there, but there is a fair share of negative comments and I get a feel for the fact it's out there. But I really don't read it, I don't pay attention to it. It probably bothers mum and dad more than it does me," Boyd said.

"Luke has been extremely supportive of me and he's got great belief in all of us.

"People will always try to find negatives, but I hope they can see what we've done here and what we've been able to achieve is truly something remarkable from where we've come and the adversity we've faced this year."

Tom Boyd says a club-imposed suspension for a drunken altercation with teammate Zaine Cordy could be the "turning point" of his career.

"I was really disappointed in myself. Like any player that gets suspended all they want to do is get back out there and put a good performance out on the park," Boyd said.

"I suppose my only frustration was that I was a little uncertain when I'd be able to return.

"Once I did it was all systems go and pushing ahead, and trying to achieve as much as we could.

"Looking back it was a real turning point for myself."

Cordy, who also remained available to play in the VFL but was banned from playing seniors like Boyd, said the pair remained the best of mates.

"The club helped us and we're well past that now," Cordy said.

"We're still very good friends and we've moved on."

Tom Boyd says he will have a shoulder reconstruction at the end of the season.

"I used that time to strengthen it, but I have to go and get the (reconstruction) done at the end of the year," Boyd said.

"It hasn't fallen out again since I hurt it this year, so that's good, but it still troubles me a bit, so it will be good to go and get it fixed properly."

Tom Barrass will be aiming for payback when he takes on Western Bulldogs forward Tom Boyd in the Eagles' elimination final at Domain Stadium.

Boyd kicked three goals on Barrass within the first 10 minutes of the match when they squared off in an Under-18 National Championship game in 2013.

Luckily for Barrass, Boyd injured his ankle while taking a mark for what could have been his fourth goal, and played no further part in the game.

"He got off to a flyer, and was bombing them from everywhere," Barrass said.

"It was me and (Sydney Swan) Aliir Aliir (playing on him).

"We were trying to convince each other to go on him. I think I got him in the end.

"It's the only time I've played on him, so I might owe him one."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says he is confident the club's investment in Tom Boyd will pay off for in the future.

The 20-year-old put in an excellent performance against the Cats, kicking three goals in a losing cause and winning the ball around the ground.

"We think he is going to be a stellar player but he is going to take a little bit of time. He is a young key forward," Beveridge said.

"We're still as bullish about the recruiting of him as we were at the start.

"We feel really fortunate to have him with us and we will keep building around him as time goes on."

Western Bulldogs Tom Boyd and Zaine Cordy have been suspended indefinitely after clashing with each other in a drunken altercation that has been described as violent.

"The incident involved an altercation between Tom and Zaine, in which both players were affected by alcohol," a statement from the Bulldogs said.

"The club is strongly against any form of violent behaviour and is extremely disappointed in the actions of both players, particularly by the actions of Tom."

The Bulldogs have suspended Boyd and Cordy "until the club deems it appropriate for both to return" and fined Boyd $5000 for "the relevant unacceptable aspects of Tom's behaviour".

The club has also demanded the pair apologise and explain their conduct to their teammates and colleagues at the club, while Boyd will undergo "appropriate counselling".

"Tom and Zaine have accepted these sanctions, and they have all been implemented," the Bulldogs said.

"Additionally, Tom has volunteered a significant personal contribution of time and money to a not-for-profit organisation focused on the prevention of social violence.

"Tom and Zaine have committed to the club that there will be no repetition of such behaviour and that they will atone to their teammates and the club."

Tom Boyd will miss two weeks due to a shoulder complaint which flared up in a ruck contest during the last quarter of the Bulldogs' win over Carlton.

"He had a similar episode on our community camp when we trained in Ballarat and he missed a few weeks and it's exactly the same thing," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"But he came back from that and he was really strong, so we anticipate in a few weeks' time he'll be ready to resurface at AFL level."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says critics of power forward Tom Boyd need to ignore his big money contract and treat him like any other young player.

"Tom, like all our young players, is on a journey and if you disregard remuneration and agreements, we just like to think of Tom as a player that's got a long-term future at our football club, and he's a work in progress like all our young guys," Beveridge said.

"I expect him to improve again this year and have a really positive impact on our club, and he's had a really good pre-season and things are shaping up well for him."

Western Bulldogs senior assistant coach Brett Montgomery says Tom Boyd will have to adjust his game if he wants more senior playing time.

"He came to us as a power forward, as a kid that didn’t move a lot. He was able to dominate one player, who was able to see a good share of entries come his way and not have to move up the ground too far," Montgomery said.

"That’s just not how AFL’s played. He’ll need to adapt and he’s well aware of that."

Montgomery said the 20-year-old would need to find more strings to his bow.

"Tom’s going to have to grow his time in the ruck, which can only assist him getting into the game," Montgomery said.

"The game’s come a long way just in the last 18-24 months and (from) what we really expect out of our key forwards.

"They need to play time in the ruck - there’s only one or two clubs that buck that trend."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says he is rapt with Tom Boyd's development despite the key forward being dropped from the side to face Collingwood.

"He's 19 years old, he's missed one game, he's been enormous for us," Beveridge said.

"He's been so critical in all of our wins, really, just giving us that contest.

"He's been really durable but there's a balance of getting as much game time into him and the other young guys so they improve and progress, and today presents an opportunity for him to play at VFL level."

Tom Boyd is the round 12 NAB Rising Star nominee after kicking four goals from 12 touches and six marks, including four contested.

"I suppose I've been feeling like I've been tracking in the right direction throughout the year, so to get a bit of reward on the scoreboard was definitely nice and to cap it off with a win is what we were after," Boyd said.

Boyd's seven-year deal at the Kennel has been estimated to be worth about $7 million, which brings the type of scrutiny precious few 19-year-olds have had to deal with.

"Day-to-day I don't think it's a real topic of my thought or my consciousness," Boyd said about the debate surrounding his lucrative contract.

"I think sticking to the task of putting in the strong foundations of what will hopefully be a really strong AFL career in the future is really important.

"That's working on the little things day to day and things that I can put in place that will make me a consistent player."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says he hasn't ruled out resting Tom Boyd after the former Giant appeared listless against Melbourne.

Boyd, 19, was subbed out of the Dogs' 39-point loss in the third quarter after one handpass and one hit-out to that point.

"He's OK. He wasn't having his greatest day. Maybe it is a sign that he's a little bit weary and he needs a spell, but we'll work through that during the week," Beveridge said.

"The important thing for Boydy is he gets as much game time and experience as he can without cooking him, and he might be at the end of a little cycle and we'll look at whether or not we give him a spell."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says questions about Tom Boyd's effectiveness so early in the season are starting to wear a little thin.

Boyd was well contained by West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern in the Bulldogs' 10-point win over the Eagles last Saturday night. The 19-year-old top-dollar forward finished with just 11 disposals, two marks and a goal.

But Beveridge did not see it that way. The coach said Boyd's contests allowed the Dogs' nippy forwards to use forward pressure and create goal-scoring opportunities. The club finished with a round-high 94 tackles.

"To be honest, the Boydy questions are getting a bit tired. Everytime I get asked I keep mentioning what we want is a contest from him," Beveridge said on Friday.

"If you saw the game, that's what he gave us. Our forward pressure and everything that we achieved in our front half can be attributed a hell of a lot to Tom Boyd.

"Yeah, he took one contested mark, but he created opportunities for his teammates. If we get that again this week, that's going to be a real positive for us."

St Kilda coach Luke Beveridge says Tom Boyd will likely be used in a variety of roles besides being a key forward.

"When things don't go to plan, we're not going to hang him out to dry," Beveridge said.

"We're going to try and find a way for him to lift his performance.

"If that means he plays a bit more in the ruck, or maybe even behind the ball at some point, we'll definitely explore that to help him, because being a key forward can be a difficult existence, especially if you're not getting supply at times."

After dropping 3kg, Tom Boyd is confident his trimmer frame will be better equipped for AFL football.

Boyd says he felt too heavy during his first season for Greater Western Sydney and struggled to cover the ground at times.

"From my point of view I was probably less mobile than I was in the past, but I'm a big guy and I always have been," Boyd said.

"It was probably more from a development point of view that I didn't realise what weight I could play at. It was a really good learning curve for me to assess where my body's at, and what I can handle at AFL level.

"Obviously I had no idea what the standard would be like, but I'm a bit lighter this year and looking to have a good year."

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says Tom Boyd will need time to reach his full potential.

"The expectations on Tom, there is no doubt they're more external than internal," Beveridge said.

"We know that he's going to be a very, very good player for the football club.

"He's probably like a blue-chip stock really, he'll pay dividends a long the way but it's probably going to take a bit of time as he's only 19."

GWS say they have no hard feelings for Tom Boyd despite the No.1 draft pick leaving the club after only one season.

"Tom stated that he wanted to go home and probably didn't want to be a part of what this club is actually building," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"We wish Tom all the best, he's a fantastic young kid and he's going to be a very, very good player for that footy club."

Tom Boyd entered the 2014 trade period with just nine senior games under his belt, but emerged less than two weeks later near the top of the AFL's rich list.

The 2013 No.1 pick joined the Western Bulldogs on a seven-year contract understood to be worth about $7 million.

It's a staggering show of faith in an unproven 19-year-old, but the Bulldogs needed to salvage something after captain Ryan Griffen walked out on the club and requested a trade to GWS.

The Giants trade Tom Boyd to the Western Bulldogs, receiving veteran Ryan Griffen and pick No.6 in return.

Despite the trade, GWS CEO Dave Matthews says he is confident other youngsters won't leave the club in coming seasons.

"We've got real confidence in the loyalty we're starting to build here, strong culture," Matthews said.

"Clearly it's a culture Tom didn't feel comfortable in, but a lot of others do.

"We've got a great young coach in Leon Cameron, we've got an outstanding facility at Sydney Olympic Park. As we start to win more often I think not only will we hold players for longer, we'll start to attract players.

Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs are in a tug-of-war over young star Tom Boyd, after his manager said he would head home to Melbourne either this year or next.

"He doesn't want to live in western Sydney any more - he wants to come home and you know what? He's going to come home," Boyd's manager Liam Pickering said.

"Whether it's this year or next year, that's what will happen.

"As we sit right now, he'll be requesting a trade to the Western Bulldogs at the end of next season."

Rocked by captain Ryan Griffen's request to be traded to the Giants last week, the Western Bulldogs hit back at GWS by declaring that Tom Boyd is seeking a move to the Whitten Oval.

"Managed sensibly with mature heads, this can be a win for both clubs," Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon said about a potential exchange involving the two key players.

"Not managed in that way, neither club gets what it wants and we'll be the only two of the 18 clubs that don't benefit from that.

"Wiser heads will prevail at both ends of the transaction … Tom's a real priority for us now."

GWS CEO David Matthews said Boyd would not be released from the final year of his contract to join the Bulldogs.

"We have been clear with them that despite any speculation or interest, Tom Boyd will not be traded under any circumstances," Matthews said.

"With pick four and potentially another high first-round selection we are confident we are in a strong trade position as we enter the week."

Thomas Boyd makes his AFL debut for GWS at Adelaide Oval with 5 disposals (2 kicks and 3 handballs), 2 marks and 6 hitouts in a 65-point loss to Adelaide.

Number one draft pick Tom Boyd will make his debut against the Crows in round 5 after admitting to feelings of envy watching teammate and No.2 pick Josh Kelly making three senior appearances so far.

"I'm really happy for him," Boyd said.

"He's one of my great mates and he's a great kid and very well liked and respected around this place.

"I've been super excited for him and still a bit jealous. I think everyone playing in the NEAFL wants to be playing in the AFL.

"But the overwhelming feeling is just excitement for him and to see how he played in his first couple of games gave me a lot of confidence."

No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd hopes to make his debut in round 1 after a great pre-season.

"I had key goals that I wanted to improve my endurance and I did so, beating my best time in the 3k [time-trial] by over a minute and a half. I knew that was a weakness of mine," Boyd said.

"I feel like I've got as much as I can out of the pre-season and only missed two or three sessions the whole time.

"If anything they've had to peg me back for how much I've been doing, rather than trying to push me on, and I've been really happy with how my body has held up so far."

Tom Boyd says having a tall trio of Jonathan Patton, Jeremy Cameron and himself in the Giants' forward line presents an interesting dilemma for the club.

"It comes down to a lot of things – in terms of form and timing. Obviously being a bigger forward line, can we put on the defensive pressure that's required?" Boyd asked.

"It's an interesting dilemma to have, but it's really not up to me. I'll leave that up to the coaches."

No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd's selection by GWS is featured in mx, Denmark's most-read newspaper.

"I got a call from a Danish newspaper shortly after the draft and they were pretty excited about me being taken by the Giants with the No.1 pick," Boyd said.

"My mum grew up there and I've spent some time in Denmark too. I've got a lot of family there and I think it's great that they're getting exposed to the AFL.

"Hopefully the whole country can jump on board the Giants."

As expected, GWS select Tom Boyd and Josh Kelly with their first two picks in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.

"I'm just willing to take the challenge head-on, and put my best foot forward," Boyd said.

"I'll be going to the Giants like any other player, and just trying to put my best foot forward on the training track and earn the respect of my teammates."