Just announced - effective immediately.
I wish him all the best - I'm glad that he's been open and strong enough to admit his issues, and not play games, both with himself and the club.
Good luck.
Amazing what a mid season draft leads to....
And yes, best of luck to Tom moving forward.
Plenty of absolute superstars who finish their careers and don't taste GF victory....he was lucky enough to be there and played a superb game that day. No one can take that away from him.
He's walked away from the rest of his contract this year and 2 more years ($2.5M). That is a massive decision and I doubt the mid season draft had much to do with it in all honesty.
For someone who really talked up Tom Boyd in his draft year, I just don't know what to say. I was really taken back. However, as the thought sort of crystallizes into reality, I have a few thoughts:
[1] We were after him badly. I think we were very lucky we missed this particular bullet, especially since so many of our recruiting decisions form that time for so ordinary.
[2] We so rarely saw the best of this guy. His game in the GF that year was by far his best career game. How many people can say that? Not many at all.
[3] What does that say about the pressures on the modern player? Here was a guy being paid a fortune each year on one of the longest term contracts going around, and yet he finishes up so early. Is the pressure on young players more these days? Or is it something else?
[4] I feel for the Dogs: they paid a lot for this guy and have been left holding the back. I guess they are lucky that the mid-season draft is there to be able to get another player. However, what does that do to their salary cap?
[5] Tom obviously has some issues. I hope he gets what he needs to be able to live 'normally' (whatever that may be). I don't like seeing players getting these issues, but at least he was willing to come out with them. So many others keep their issues inside them until some sort of disaster happens. Alas, I speak from experience. :(
[6] Assuming the drive and the will returns after time doing whatever, will he want to play again a few years down the track? Would he put himself through that again? Would a club take the risk on someone who has already given the game away once? Would we look at him?
[7] In time, will he be considered the Ted Hopkins of the Bulldogs?
I must admit, when I think of Tom Boyd, I remember this kid who so dominated U18 footy that he probably got the wrong message about how hard it really is. He had a great pair of hands and other kids his age struggled to contain him. I can recall him simply dominating a game against the Pioneers, take mark after mark.
I could only think of two words when I read the article a little while ago - courage and honesty (honesty with self, and that takes the greatest of courage).
Ps Well said, Capt CRASH.
No details yet as to whether he walks away from his contract.....surely the Dogs don't have to pay him out beyond this year if it's him that's pulled the pin? If that's the case then it probably frees up salary cap space for them over the next couple of years and gives them the chance to throw some big $$$ at someone else? They've got Schache on their list but it remains to be seen whether he comes on too? If Naughton remains forward they probably need to bolster their key defensive posts too given Roughead is gone, Adams went to Brisbane.....
Schache is a bust IMO, 2nd club, done nothing, they have had to take a good kid from full back and turn him into a key forward because Scache is borderline useless..
Roughead has been great at Collingwood especially for free and Beveridge ballsed up that relationship like he did with Stringer and Dalhaus.
Dont know what the deal was with Adams but he seemed to want out in a hurry too.....reckon Bevo even with his premiership might be under the pump sooner than later.
Been giving some weird after match pressers too...
If you were to guarantee to the Bullies that, in the life of the Boyd contract, they’d win a premiership, they’d take it every day of the week. If you also said that he’d be a significant player in the game, you’d be doubly satisfied. It also releases a bucket load of cash that can be used elsewhere.
I don’t feel for the Dogs, they’ve done ok.
Agree, Bevo is a weird one imo. Sort of creepy.
The payout Re Boyd's contract has big ramifications e.g. Buddy. He won't play five more years and it was back ended apparently. Gulp. Choke on that one ducks.
Yet the anti Bolton people were saying look at the Bulldogs after ousting McCartney.
Imho that flag is his rather than bevo's, and they were pretty lucky to jag it anyway.
He is one strange bloke. Very full of himself, not afraid to tell everyone how smart he is or how well versed he is on a topic. Also comes across as having this opinion of himself that he is making a difference to the World. Mate you are coaching blokes to kick a leather ball around not splitting the atom.
But anyway, good luck Tom, hope everything works out for you.
:D
You don't have to be Norman Einstein as one M Maltouse once said!
Boyd agreed to forego the last two years.
Sad to hear, no sympathy for Beveridge trying to pin Boyd's problems on a black hearted journalist, is there any other type?
I'm sure the $5M Boyd has banked goes someway to comforting him.
When Beveridge comes out and slams The Pudding Face Twins or Dimma for badgering umpires, then I'll sit up and listen!
Without directly naming him Beveridge has hit out at this 'Black Soul' journalist who had a negative effect on Boyd's state of mind.
Barrett???
btw., I'd have no trouble with some non-playing voluntary official standing up for Boyd and for his club, but it's a bit hypocritical coming from any of the football department. After all the press is indirectly the hand that feeds them, and Beveridge is a quality media performer who works the room not a naive newbie, he knows that it's no big media coverage for no big dollars!
Is there a way to have all the good stuff without the bad?
To me this is where AFL still shows some immaturity, I think partially brought on by the high penetration of past players in media roles.
I couldn't think of who was talking about, Barrett the ambulance chaser sounds right though.
Could be Barrett but there are so many options... I'm not sure who he was referring to. Most journos would have had a whack at Boyd over the years.
Could Boyd turn up at the Swans?
If that happened JH I reckon he'd be more unpopular than Ablett! He would be a marked man for the rest of his career and would then, rightfully, really cop it from the media.
By the sounds of it, I would guess that Tom's main and only concern would be getting himself right (or under control). AFL football would be the furthest thing from his mind.