Matthew Boyd keen to be top dog at Whitten Oval

[The Coon Dog]

Daryl Timms - Herald Sun - 31 October



CONSISTENT Western Bulldog Matthew Boyd has declared his interest in taking over the captaincy from Brad Johnson who retired at the end of the season.

Boyd has already spoken with coach Rodney Eade about the key leadership role.

"I would love to be captain of the footy club," Boyd said. "No doubt I will put my hand up for that.

"It's just a matter of who the club sees fit as skipper, and also the playing group will have a bit to say about that as well. I will put my hand up and it would be a great honour but you don't need a badge to be a leader and that's the view I have on it.

Article in full...

[LostDoggy]

He would be my choice (from a long distance away from how he is in the team environment). His endeavour is untouched in this group and his willingness to get in and under is inspirational.

[LostDoggy]

My vote over Gia any day. Tough and consistent.

[The Coon Dog]

My vote over Gia any day. Tough and consistent.

Consistent at what? Missing targets, non accountability?

[GVGjr]

Consistent at what? Missing targets, non accountability?

Getting the football and training hard and being a great role model.

He's not on his own with the deficiencies you mentioned .

[The Coon Dog]

He's not on his own with the deficiencies you mentioned .

No, but he never seems to be held accountable as others are. Too many 'supporters' only see what they want, conveniently forgetting he played on Ablett, Swan & Hayes in vital games last year when those 3 were racking up possessions, but were largely ignored by Boyd. Would Gia have gotten off scott free if he played on those 3?

[GVGjr]

Would Gia have gotten off scott free if he played on those 3?

He would never been given those sort of jobs to begin with.
There area few candidates for the captaincy and Boyd and Giansiracusa are two of them. I doubt the decision will come down to just a comparison of their defensive skills.
Neither of them are ideal options in my opinion but I'd like to know what the club feels will be the one strength that sets the guys apart.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Getting the football and training hard and being a great role model.

He's not on his own with the deficiencies you mentioned .

Gia trains just as hard and is equally as good a role model.

Boyd gets more of the ball but that's mostly because they play different positions. When Boyd was out and Gia played in the midfield he got similar numbers.

[ratsmac]

Can we just have no captain next year? I not keen on either of these two mentioned above. Great players in their own right, but captain material I'm just not sure. I personally think that Dale Morris fits the mould of a captain, but I think I'm up for a younger more long term option. In saying that I don't think we have anyone of that ilk right now. Another one I think would be a good captain would be Bob Murphy, but then again he can go missing in games.
Maybe a Sydney\Stkilda co captaincy setup is on the cards because you can throw up half a dozen names and have plenty of pros and cons for each of them. It's a good problem to have though. I look at say an essendon list and struggle to find anyone fit to be a captain, and that is including their captain. So I'm glad its the club who has to make this decision and not me because I'm really good at making wrong ones.

[GVGjr]

Gia trains just as hard and is equally as good a role model.

Boyd gets more of the ball but that's mostly because they play different positions. When Boyd was out and Gia played in the midfield he got similar numbers.

I don't have a problem with Gia and I'm not sure why the focus has turned back onto him given there was initially just one comment preferring Boyd over Giansiracusa. It was just a choice or a preference.

I think its a good thing that Boyd has chucked his hat into the captaincy ring. Whilst Gia might be the the MC preference and also a lot of people on the forums I can also understand why a lot of people don't think it's necessarily a great decision.

[Bulldog Revolution]

The criticism of Boyd being unaccountable has to be partially acknowledged as being related to coaching of the midfield, and coaching more generally.

To suggest otherwise would be implying that Boyd just runs around doing what he wants in the midfield and not what he is told. I find it unlikely Boyd would not take instruction.

I think 2011 will be close to Gias last year of AFL football and partly on that basis dont think he is a good choice for captain,

I think Gia is smart, articulate, a good role model/leader, but Boyd would be my pick out of the two

[LostDoggy]

I don't have a problem with Gia and I'm not sure why the focus has turned back onto him given there was initially just one comment preferring Boyd over Giansiracusa. It was just a choice or a preference.

Not speaking for SS here, but I think his point is that if the reasons stated for Boydy are good enough for the captaincy, it should be good enough for Gia, but since most of us DON'T think that Gia should be captain, it's hypocritical for people to then turn around support Boydy based on some erroneous perception that he does certain things better than Gia.

Neither of them are captain material, plain and simple (which is not an attack on them personally, or any comment on their work ethic or anything like that). To pick either of them would be simply pandering to the politics of the locker room, nothing else, and certainly not for the benefit of the team on-field.

The real leaders on the field last year were Morris (backline), Griff (middle -- even over Coons, I think), Hudson (stoppages) and Hall (up forward). The captain should come from one of these (who should all be in the leadership group), with a young 'un as vice-captain, both for long-term development and to connect with the younger half of our dressing room.

[GVGjr]

The criticism of Boyd being unaccountable has to be partially acknowledged as being related to coaching of the midfield, and coaching more generally.

To suggest otherwise would be implying that Boyd just runs around doing what he wants in the midfield and not what he is told. I find it unlikely Boyd would not take instruction.

Even if Boyd wasn't following instructions wouldn't the onus be on the match committee to either set him straight in no uncertain terms or drop him for not following the rules?

[bornadog]

Even if Boyd wasn't following instructions wouldn't the onus be on the match committee to either set him straight in no uncertain terms or drop him for not following the rules?

You would expect so.

[bornadog]

The real leaders on the field last year were Morris (backline), Griff (middle -- even over Coons, I think), Hudson (stoppages) and Hall (up forward). The captain should come from one of these (who should all be in the leadership group), with a young 'un as vice-captain, both for long-term development and to connect with the younger half of our dressing room.

Hall and Hudson - too old.

Griff too quiet

Morris - possible

Cooney - also possible and my pick.

The captain has not only got to be a leader on the ground but he also has duties off the ground, representing the club at functions, with media etc . We also want the captain to be around for at least three years , which eliminates Hall and Hudson.