Tom Boyd was the country’s best young talent coming through the junior ranks, which had many in the public believe he could single-handedly change the fortunes and success of his club for many years to come.
This was a lot for a young man who had just finished his Year 12 studies to carry. Selected with pick one of the 2013 AFL Draft, by the GWS Giants, who were in the infancy of their existence, Tom realised at a very early stage of his days in the AFL that this career may not be what he had hoped.
For more than two years since publicly addressing his struggles with mental health and retiring from the AFL, Tom has shared his story in hope of shifting the conversation and having a positive impact on people’s lives.
Current Work:
In July 2019, Tom made the decision to walk away from his AFL career, one which he thought would have spanned for many years. With 2 years and $2million to run on the contract he had signed with the Western Bulldogs, Tom knew that if he was to achieve happiness in life, this course of action was required.
Now, Tom shares his story with mental health and the techniques he used during his AFL career and continues to use in order to achieve happiness and balance. At the age of 24, Tom communicates his story brilliantly to youths and adults as his story transcends across many demographics.
Previous Experience:
AFL Career:During his first season at the Giants Tom found himself struggling to cope and attributed his problems to ‘home sickness’, a term that is loosely used in AFL circles when assessing a player that is struggling and has moved away from home. Tom hoped that this was his issue and by returning back to Victoria all his troubles would be forgotten, so in an unprecedented move, the number one draft pick from the previous season was traded to the Western Bulldogs on a 7 year, $7million deal.
Returning to Victoria, Tom felt great in the initial move home, however, there were still underlying issues that he was working through, insomnia being the biggest problem. As Tom carried the burden of a big price tag on his head, at a club that had historically been an underachiever with one Premiership to its name, his mental health fluctuated which directly impacted his performance.
Not even a drought-breaking Premiership in 2016 after arguably Tom’s best football could stop the issues he was suffering as his insomnia and mental health hit new lows.
Video
Last Time I Cried: 'I didn't know what was going to happen next' | Tom Boyd
Bulldogs premiership hero Tom Boyd talks to Hamish McLachlan about the moment he hit rock bottom in 2017.The Tom Boyd Story | Saxton Speakers
Recently retired Bulldog Tom Boyd opens up about the physical and mental toll of his AFL career, in a wide-ranging podcast with Club great Bob Murphy.Open Mike with Tom Boyd | Saxton Speakers
Tom Boyd was the country’s best young talent coming through the junior ranks, which had many in the public believe he could single-handedly change the fortunes and success of his club for many years to come. This was a lot for a young man who had just finished his Year 12 studies to carry. Selected with pick one of the 2013 AFL Draft, by the GWS Giants, who were in the infancy of their existence, Tom realised at a very early stage of his days in the AFL that this career may not be what he had hoped. For more than two years since publicly addressing his struggles with mental health and retiring from the AFL, Tom has shared his story in hope of shifting the conversation and having a positive impact on people’s lives.One can debate that the private school environment is comparable to an elite sporting environment with the day to day demands and pressure associated with performance. This is the reason why ... keep reading Haileybury College
Tom’s story was both fascinating and intriguing. To hear about the issues Tom faced and how he dealt with them was a real eye opener. With everything that is going on in the world and how busy we get it is very easy to get caught in a rut. Tom’s story really highlighted the fact that by recognising key aspects of our life we can control our situation. Toms honesty and willingness to share his journey and openly answer the questions was greatly appreciated. It was real lesson in resilience, taking control and taking care of yourself. Thanks Tom it was a great insight.
On RU OK Day, Tom presented via a National Webex to over 250 Partners and staff with deep insight and maturity. He spoke about the challenges of mental health issues, and his own challenging journey. His observations from the world of high-performance professional sport were highly relevant to our corporate world in professional & legal services. Tom was candid demonstrating an acute awareness that the solution for each individual may be different. He is a considered voice, speaking about important issues, at an important time.
One can debate that the private school environment is comparable to an elite sporting environment with the day to day demands and pressure associated with performance. This is the reason why we chose Tom to educate the Haileybury community. Tom presented to a broad variety of Haileybury stakeholders, students, staff and parents, presented with such professionalism, respect and empathy, adapting each session to the relevant audience. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. I would highly recommend Tom to any organisation wanting to invest in their students, community or employees. We can’t thank him enough. - Haileybury College - Tom’s story was both fascinating and intriguing. To hear about the issues Tom faced and how he dealt with them was a real eye opener. With everything that is going on in the world and how busy we get it is very easy to get caught in a rut. Tom’s story really highlighted the fact that by recognising key aspects of our life we can control our situation. Toms honesty and willingness to share his journey and openly answer the questions was greatly appreciated. It was real lesson in resilience, taking control and taking care of yourself. Thanks Tom it was a great insight. - Worksafe - On RU OK Day, Tom presented via a National Webex to over 250 Partners and staff with deep insight and maturity. He spoke about the challenges of mental health issues, and his own challenging journey. His observations from the world of high-performance professional sport were highly relevant to our corporate world in professional & legal services. Tom was candid demonstrating an acute awareness that the solution for each individual may be different. He is a considered voice, speaking about important issues, at an important time. - Minters Ellison - Tom, thank you for sharing your story, learnings and advice on mental health, wellbeing and resilience with our team at Coca-Cola Amatil ahead of R U Ok? day. We have a wonderfully diverse team here and our safety motto is ‘get home to what you love’. You engaged with every member of the team in a professional, thoughtful and approachable way and helped us to make mental health more visible. You could have presented as an AFL football star, but you offered so much more.
Tom Boyd presented to our team of approx. 65 staff and we were all impressed with how open he was about such a personal and difficult topic. Tom had our attention for the full length of his talk and didn’t discredit any clubs or players in the process. I liked that he shared some of the ways he tried to overcome it and can see what an awesome role model he would be for young people going through similar situations. Fantastic presentation and speaker and would highly recommend having Tom present to your team.
