Sometimes you need a little luck. For Tom Boyd, who felt like he was building to a breakout performance but kept missing out, that luck finally came his way on Saturday night. The No.1 draft pick in 2013 and a high-priced recruit for the Bulldogs, Boyd is scrutinised more than any young player. But with a career-best four goals against the Brisbane Lions, the monkey is off his back.
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Performance against the Brisbane Lions
Playing as a deep forward, Boyd was matched up on 21-year-old Justin Clarke, who gave away 5cm and 9kg. The young Lion had to use guile to beat his man but he was caught blocking him in a marking contest 15 minutes into the game, giving Boyd a confidence-boosting goal from a set shot.
From there Boyd was in the contest, running hard defensively, spreading the forward line by working into space and tackling. He made a habit of calling for the ball long, however, when he had space to lead into.
He did this again 25 minutes into the first term and ended up flying in a pack, receiving another free kick close to goal. When he fumbled a handball from Jordan Roughead in the goalsquare but recovered to kick his third goal, it was clear the footy gods were smiling on Boyd.
Those free kicks, and the fumbled handball, could have gone either way, but the fact they favoured Boyd seemed to then draw out of him some of the best football he has played.
He started positioning himself well for teammates kicking out of defence, providing a get-out option and taking contested marks, finishing with a career-high four. He did the basics, like shepherding goals through and working hard on the mark.
It's an easy criticism to make of a second-year tall, but there have been games where Boyd has lacked presence. You could make no such criticism on Saturday night when he laid fierce tackles on Dayne Zorko and Clarke.
Tom Boyd hits Justin Clarke with a flying tackle. Picture: Adam Trafford, AFL Media
High point
Fourteen minutes into the third quarter, Boyd had pushed up to a wing and won a ground ball before he was tackled by two opponents. He fought to keep his feet and was able to force the ball forward just 10m where it was swooped on in space by a teammate, leading to a Jake Stringer goal. It was the goal that broke the game open and a number of teammates ran to Boyd for his involvement.
Low point
Twenty-three minutes into the opening quarter, Boyd had a wide opening ahead to lead into, but he chose to move back towards goal and call for the kick over the top, presumably backing his height. The kick came in and couldn't be placed to his advantage, drifting overhead and through for a behind.
The stats sheet
| K | HB | DISP | M | FF | G | B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Q2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Q3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Q4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
What they said in the rooms
"I've felt like it's been coming and coming and coming. As a junior I was quite a good contested mark and coming up against men and the guys who are 10 or 11 years older than you is difficult at times. So I'm working on bringing the ball to ground every time I can and take a few of those marks myself. That consistent marking effort is my thing that I bring to the table and that's going to be a consistent thing that I'll be working on through my whole career. The (fumble) was a bit of a fright and 'Roughy' wasn't too happy with me. But all is well that ends well." – Tom Boyd
"He's had one or two 'sliding doors' moments in games where he should have kicked two or three in first quarters of games gone by … it's really nice to probably get the monkey off his back I'd say. He's such a big man that some of the methods that key defenders try to use on him make it a challenge for him. He's got to fight against it and he's learning to do that from week to week. He was a terrific team man." – coach Luke Beveridge
How will he fare next week against St Kilda?
Boyd was well held when the Bulldogs me the Saints in round six, but he is in different form just seven weeks later. Luke Delaney shapes as his likely opponent, giving Boyd a more mature footballer to combat. He has not kicked a goal against the Saints, but that should change if the Bulldogs maintain their attacking style and get the ball inside 50 enough.
Boyd nearly made a meal of this freebie! #AFLDogsLions http://t.co/FiI7CeZ3F0
— AFL (@AFL) June 20, 2015
