'To be honest, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win premierships.'
Matthew Boyd
'There's a lot of hard work ahead. We can't take things for granted.'
Rodney Eade
FOOTBALL
TIRELESS midfielder Matthew Boyd's brilliant and courageous ball-winning ability under extreme pressure at the centre bounces and around the ground was a major factor in the Western Bulldogs seriously challenging for the AFL premiership in 2009.
The 27 year old was a driving force in the side's vaunted engine room week in, week out.
The one-time rookie-lister was rewarded with selection in the AFL's star-studded all-Australian line-up for the first time several weeks ago.
It was a big thrill.
Not surprisingly, the accolades keep coming for the consummate team man.
Boyd is celebrating after winning the prestigious Charles Sutton Medal (best and fairest award) for the first time.
The ball magnet polled 154 votes to edge out fellow indefatigable midfielder (and best mate) Daniel Cross on 145 votes.
Boyd was pumped to receive the medal from the legend it's named after - Charlie Sutton - in front of 1000 guests at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre on Saturday night.
The modest champ admitted he'd tipped 2008 winner Cross to win it again and was quick to acknowledge he'd played 25 games and Cross 23.
Cross led the count until overtaken by Boyd after the Bulldogs' crucial win over Collingwood at Etihad Stadium in the final home and away round.
Dependable back man Dale Morris was third on 133 votes, with experienced forward and captain Brad Johnson and champion full-back Brian Lake rounding out the top five on 131 and 125 votes respectively.
In a heartfelt and passionate acceptance speech, Boyd insisted he wouldn't hesitate in swapping any individual honours for ultimate glory for the Bulldogs.
"To be honest, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win premierships," he said.
Boyd added the players remained absolutely shattered by their near-miss against St Kilda in the preliminary final and implored his teammates to use it as motivation next year as the Bulldogs steel themselves for another almighty crack at what would be their first premiership since the glory days of 1954.
"I know all the players are still hurting," he said.
"I hope that hurt drives us during the pre-season and throughout 2010."
Boyd thanked coach Rodney Eade for "investing a lot of trust and faith in me".
He also praised the support he received from former assistant coach Chris Bond, who coached him when he was plugging away with the Bulldogs' then VFL affiliate Werribee.
"He gave me confidence when I was struggling to get a game in the ones [with the Bulldogs], struggling to stay on the list," he said.
In an emotion-charged moment, Boyd's voice quivered slightly when he paid tribute to sweetheart Kate for being by his side from the first bounce until the final siren throughout the season.
"You never complain. You always do it with a smile and make me laugh," he said.
Club president David Smorgon paid tribute to the "determination, courage and persistence" of the top three place-getters Boyd, Cross and Morris, who all refused to give in on their dreams of becoming an AFL star, despite enduring some tremendous setbacks along the way.
"They are three outstanding role models," Smorgon said.
"They play for the club, they play for the jumper they wear and they play for their teammates."
The top 10 vote getters were: Matthew Boyd (154 votes), Daniel Cross (145), Dale Morris (133), Brad Johnson (131), Brian Lake (125), Jarrod Harbrow (123), Adam Cooney (110), Shaun Higgins (96), Ryan Hargrave (93), Jason Akermanis (86).
Eade said he couldn't have been any prouder of the efforts of his players in that heartbreaking loss to the Saints in the prelim final.
He lauded their "effort, courage, character and spirit".
"It made me feel proud to be their coach.
"They were totally gutted at the end of that preliminary final."
Eade implored his players to stick together and insists there'll be sacrifices made.
He urged them to keep their eye on the hard ball.
"There's a lot of hard work ahead. We cannot assume we'll finish top four again [in 2010]. We can't take things for granted."
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