An emotional Luke Beveridge has paid tribute to retiring premiership forward Tom Boyd, acknowledging the weight of mental health issues in his decision and the support the Western Bulldogs provided in his five seasons at the club.
Beveridge spoke openly and needed a moment to gather himself as he explained the raw nature of having to farewell the 23-year-old from Whitten Oval.
"When you reflect on Tom's career, there is lots of emotions. At the end of '16 we thought the footy world was Tom's oyster, and we didn't see the black dog creeping up on him," Beveridge said on Friday.
"It's sad because of what could've been in his footy career, but since then he's had some enormous struggles.
"I'm really proud of the way everyone has supported Tom and how Tom's carried himself. We've done our best to protect him for the most part, and obviously he had an enormous impact in those couple of years where he was endeavouring to bring his absolute best at the highest level of this game."
Asked why Boyd's announcement had taken such an emotional personal toll, Beveridge pointed to how he is as a person and the way he handles such moments.
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"I'm an emotional beast, I cry watching cartoons," he said.
"But this is a much more significant thing, obviously we're dealing with it in the public domain, in life in general. In the community, Tom is an example of a person of note with presence who's legacy in this space will live on for generations."
Boyd was the first selection in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft and joined the Bulldogs from GWS on a lucrative seven-year, $7 million contract. A topic of discussion on a regular basis externally, the deal was not a factor inside the club, according to the coach.
"I think it compounded because of the scrutiny around it," Beveridge said.
"We've never discussed it. This is the first time I've ever even broached it (publicly) because to me, it just wasn't important."
After an emotional week for the Dogs, Beveridge's side must turn its attentions to ladder-leaders Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Beveridge hopes recent days will "inspire" his players, but is under no illusions about the difficulty of focusing on the task at hand.
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"I think they (the players) will be right. We've lived Tom's journey for a long time, and in many ways it's probably not a surprise because we've understood how difficult it is for him," he said.
"Obviously they care for Tom and they feel for him, but Tom is still with us."
