FORMER Western Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd has paid tribute to premiership teammate Easton Wood, following the defender\u2019s retirement.<\/p>\n
Boyd, who was the Dogs\u2019 captain from 2011 to 2013 and lined up with Wood in the back six for his final three seasons, said it was a long journey to the top for the man from Camperdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing he\u2019ll be most proud of when he looks back on his career is the growth he\u2019s had not only as a player, but as a person,\u201d Boyd told SEN Afternoons<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cTo get to the level where he\u2019s been fit to lead the team in a really important time in the club\u2019s history is something he should be incredibly proud of.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be the first to admit he might have made some mistakes and not got it all completely right at the start of his career.<\/p>\n \u201cHe grew so much as a person and became a really, really strong leader for the footy club, and a really strong influence among a group of young men trying to achieve success.\u201d<\/p>\n The now Fremantle assistant praised Wood\u2019s call to listen to his body and forego the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a hugely courageous decision, and it\u2019s a tough one, because we all think we can play forever and think we\u2019re a little bit invincible as footy players,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe might have thought he wasn\u2019t athletically where he wanted to be.<\/p>\n \u201c[Given he] relies so much on speed and power and athleticism, he probably had a lot of self-reflection and made that call for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Boyd believes the 32-year-old\u2019s decision will also have been informed by a desire to spend more time with his young family, after spending most of the last two seasons on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably something that has been in the back of his mind,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s established himself off the field, he doesn\u2019t wrap his identity up in being a football player which I think is a really important element in making these decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got two beautiful kids, and an awesome wife who has got her own aspirations in business, so he might have felt it\u2019s time to give back to his family, and he wants to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood retires as one of only three Bulldogs premiership captains, along with the late Charlie Sutton and current women\u2019s skipper Ellie Blackburn.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge honour. He\u2019s been on a real journey of growth as a person, and I think that\u2019s what made him a really good leader,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that he was vulnerable, people could relate to him, and he was really open to learning from his errors.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the thing that made him such a strong, influential leader. He could relate to everyone, he led by example and influenced in the right sort of way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n