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There are so many things going on in the AFL that the odd exceptional performance tends to slip through the cracks.
And if you're a supporter of the Western Bulldogs, you want to celebrate every positive story that comes out of the club.
The Bulldogs are in that difficult transition stage where, having been a perennial finalist for several years, including three consecutive preliminary finals from 2008-10, they are attempting to rebuild and rejuvenate the playing list.
The byproduct of this is that senior stalwarts are being gradually phased out, making way for what they hope will be the cornerstone of their team for years to come.
Daniel Cross, an outstanding servant of the Dogs for 12 years, no longer demands a place in the starting 22. Daniel Giansiracusa seems destined to wear the green vest more often than not and the likes of Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Hargrave retired at the end of last season.
One of the proudest and most competitive footballers in the competition, skipper Matthew Boyd, has also been forced to confront his footballing mortality. Still one of the great ball accumulators in the game, Boyd's ongoing struggle with his disposal efficiency has required Brendan McCartney to search for a more effective way to deploy his captain's talents.
Last Saturday night, Boyd was sent to his Richmond counterpart, Trent Cotchin, in a genuine, one-on-one, run-with role. Cotchin has just turned 23, and though his form may not be quite where it was last year when he was runner-up in the Brownlow Medal, he remains a magnificent player.
Boyd is approaching 31 and has played 11 seasons. For the last half of those 11 seasons he has been elite in every category, except - and I think he would be the first to admit it - kicking skills. But in terms of his competitiveness, his ability to win the hardest ball and contested possession, his unflinching willingness to put his head over the footy and extract it at centre bounces and stoppages, there have been few who have been his peer in recent times.
He is a terrific leader who pushes his body to the absolute limit and he is demanding in his expectations of his teammates.
So, at this late stage in his career, to be asked to go from playmaker to play-stopper, takes some considerable adjustment. What it also takes is a selfless attitude and an acknowledgment that the team always comes first.
I thought Boyd did a stunning job on Cotchin - a performance that has been largely overlooked. Not only did he manage to deny Richmond any meaningful contribution from its inspirational leader but Boyd still managed to do what he has been doing for so many years, and that is find the football.
Boyd finished with 38 possessions. He took 10 marks, had six clearances, laid nine tackles, rebounded the ball from the defensive 50 three times and put it inside 50 on six occasions. He also managed to kick a goal.
The only negative was that he had seven clangers, the most of any player on the ground.
But his primary responsibility was Cotchin, and the young champ was kept to just 12 kicks, five handballs and three marks. And four of those possessions came from free kicks. It was surprising to see that neither Brendan McCartney nor Damien Hardwick could find a single vote for Boyd in the coaches' association award.
Boyd's efforts sent a clear and defining message to the playing group. When the main man at your club is prepared to do what is best for the club, then the rest of the group, if they have the sort of character that the club hopes they have, will be left with no choice but to fall in behind him.
There is no value in Boyd espousing the team-first mantra if he then doesn't go out and live it through his actions.
So, should McCartney turn to Adam Cooney, Bob Murphy and Dale Morris in coming weeks and requests a change of roles, they need only look as far as their skipper to seek the confirmation that this is the way it is going to be.
Even more significantly, Boyd is providing the example for Jackson Macrae, Jake Stringer, Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis, Nathan Hrovat, Lachie Hunter, Clay Smith and Michael Talia. The message is clear - no individual is more important than the team.
What an enormously important and valuable legacy Boyd will leave behind.
And on Saturday night, against struggling Melbourne, it is the glaring and influential asset that the Dogs have, and the Demons don't. The hard-nosed leadership and experience of a player such as Boyd is not currently available to the young and struggling Melbourne outfit, and that is a critical difference between the teams.
In an environment where inexperience invariably, and understandably, leads to fluctuations in form and experience, having the comfort and peace of mind of Matthew Boyd among the playing group is valuable way beyond anything that shows up on the statistics column.
Boyd will most likely go to Nathan Jones, the Demons' heartbeat. Jones will compete in the only manner that he knows, but, as Cotchin discovered, his opponent thrives on the contest as much as anyone in football.
His new role is so important and critical to the development of this side, that if Boyd were to lead the Demons out instead of the Dogs, he would most likely be set for Ryan Griffen, the Doggies' superstar, and, along with his leadership, could almost be enough to swing the game in Melbourne's favour.
As it is, he should lead the Dogs to just their fourth win of the season. And that is something to celebrate.
There are so many things going on in the AFL that the odd exceptional performance tends to slip through the cracks.
And if you're a supporter of the Western Bulldogs, you want to celebrate every positive story that comes out of the club.
The Bulldogs are in that difficult transition stage where, having been a perennial finalist for several years, including three consecutive preliminary finals from 2008-10, they are attempting to rebuild and rejuvenate the playing list.
The byproduct of this is that senior stalwarts are being gradually phased out, making way for what they hope will be the cornerstone of their team for years to come.
Daniel Cross, an outstanding servant of the Dogs for 12 years, no longer demands a place in the starting 22. Daniel Giansiracusa seems destined to wear the green vest more often than not and the likes of Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Hargrave retired at the end of last season.
One of the proudest and most competitive footballers in the competition, skipper Matthew Boyd, has also been forced to confront his footballing mortality. Still one of the great ball accumulators in the game, Boyd's ongoing struggle with his disposal efficiency has required Brendan McCartney to search for a more effective way to deploy his captain's talents.
Last Saturday night, Boyd was sent to his Richmond counterpart, Trent Cotchin, in a genuine, one-on-one, run-with role. Cotchin has just turned 23, and though his form may not be quite where it was last year when he was runner-up in the Brownlow Medal, he remains a magnificent player.
Boyd is approaching 31 and has played 11 seasons. For the last half of those 11 seasons he has been elite in every category, except - and I think he would be the first to admit it - kicking skills. But in terms of his competitiveness, his ability to win the hardest ball and contested possession, his unflinching willingness to put his head over the footy and extract it at centre bounces and stoppages, there have been few who have been his peer in recent times.
He is a terrific leader who pushes his body to the absolute limit and he is demanding in his expectations of his teammates.
So, at this late stage in his career, to be asked to go from playmaker to play-stopper, takes some considerable adjustment. What it also takes is a selfless attitude and an acknowledgment that the team always comes first.
I thought Boyd did a stunning job on Cotchin - a performance that has been largely overlooked. Not only did he manage to deny Richmond any meaningful contribution from its inspirational leader but Boyd still managed to do what he has been doing for so many years, and that is find the football.
Boyd finished with 38 possessions. He took 10 marks, had six clearances, laid nine tackles, rebounded the ball from the defensive 50 three times and put it inside 50 on six occasions. He also managed to kick a goal.
The only negative was that he had seven clangers, the most of any player on the ground.
But his primary responsibility was Cotchin, and the young champ was kept to just 12 kicks, five handballs and three marks. And four of those possessions came from free kicks. It was surprising to see that neither Brendan McCartney nor Damien Hardwick could find a single vote for Boyd in the coaches' association award.
Boyd's efforts sent a clear and defining message to the playing group. When the main man at your club is prepared to do what is best for the club, then the rest of the group, if they have the sort of character that the club hopes they have, will be left with no choice but to fall in behind him.
There is no value in Boyd espousing the team-first mantra if he then doesn't go out and live it through his actions.
So, should McCartney turn to Adam Cooney, Bob Murphy and Dale Morris in coming weeks and requests a change of roles, they need only look as far as their skipper to seek the confirmation that this is the way it is going to be.
Even more significantly, Boyd is providing the example for Jackson Macrae, Jake Stringer, Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis, Nathan Hrovat, Lachie Hunter, Clay Smith and Michael Talia. The message is clear - no individual is more important than the team.
What an enormously important and valuable legacy Boyd will leave behind.
And on Saturday night, against struggling Melbourne, it is the glaring and influential asset that the Dogs have, and the Demons don't. The hard-nosed leadership and experience of a player such as Boyd is not currently available to the young and struggling Melbourne outfit, and that is a critical difference between the teams.
In an environment where inexperience invariably, and understandably, leads to fluctuations in form and experience, having the comfort and peace of mind of Matthew Boyd among the playing group is valuable way beyond anything that shows up on the statistics column.
Boyd will most likely go to Nathan Jones, the Demons' heartbeat. Jones will compete in the only manner that he knows, but, as Cotchin discovered, his opponent thrives on the contest as much as anyone in football.
His new role is so important and critical to the development of this side, that if Boyd were to lead the Demons out instead of the Dogs, he would most likely be set for Ryan Griffen, the Doggies' superstar, and, along with his leadership, could almost be enough to swing the game in Melbourne's favour.
As it is, he should lead the Dogs to just their fourth win of the season. And that is something to celebrate.
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