Dogs concerned for battling Boyd

THE pressure of being a No.1 draft pick and receiving a multimillion dollar contract at age 19 have been identified as contributing factors in Western Bulldogs forward Tom Boyd’s mental health battles.

The Bulldogs yesterday revealed the 2016 premiership star had been granted leave from the club to deal with clinical depression and would be sidelined indefinitely.

A candid and concerned Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he believed Boyd had been “putting on a brave face” for some time given the pressures he had been under as a highprofile player. The 21-year-old joined the Bulldogs at the end of the 2014 season on a sevenyear contract reported to be worth $7 million after just one season in the AFL with Greater Western Sydney.

Boyd will train privately with two club coaches today, having not joined teammates for the club’s main training session at Whitten Oval yesterday. Beveridge said Boyd’s wellbeing was the club’s top priority.

“He’s optimistic that he’s going to be OK and he’s got a future in the game which is great from a football perspective,” Beveridge said.