Recently retired Bulldog Tom Boyd has opened up about the physical and mental toll of his AFL career, in a wide-ranging podcast with Club great Bob Murphy.

In a riveting 60-minute podcast, former team-mates Boyd and Murphy discuss the former number one draft pick’s journey from a happy childhood in Anglesea, his battle with mental health, his ‘fickle’ relationship with professional football, the debilitating back injury which eventually ended his career, and his commitment to educating the next generation.

You can listen to the Tom Boyd Story via podcast on the Western Bulldogs website, iTunes, TuneIn Radio, Whooshka and Spotify, or by watching the full video in the player above.

The Tom Boyd Story: Show notes

0.53 – Tom’s ‘fickle’ relationship with footy.

1.54 – Loving footy, but not professional footy. Tom’s early days at GWS and wanting to live a ‘normal life’.

5.10 – Happy life as a little kid in Anglesea. Seeing AFL as a ‘career’ but enjoying basketball more.

10.07 – The lead-up to the AFL Draft, and the draft process.

12.33 – Getting offered a two-year contract extension before playing a game; feelings of early retirement; ‘homesickness’ masking mental health issues.

17.20 – The highly publicised trade to the Western Bulldogs.

21.01 – The perception that the pressure of the big contract caused all of Tom’s mental health problems.

24.55 – Living up to the public’s expectations, despite playing well; dealing with constant public criticism.

30.15 – Bob’s perception of Tom when he arrived at the Club; Tom adjusting to different club cultures.

34.10 – The success of the 2016 season covering up deeper mental health issues; the big impact of post-season surgeries.

38.38 – When Travis Cloke announced his mental health issues to the playing group in 2017; needing to take time away from the game to ‘break the cycle’.

43.05 – Tom’s confidence to speak out about mental health issues.

45.49 – The impact Tom’s debilitating back injury.

49.06 – The untrue perception that Tom retired solely because of mental health.

52.37 – The feeling relief when Tom announced his retirement.

55.57 – What’s next for Tom - speaking to kids at schools, his interest in studies, playing local footy.