After earning accolades as the AFL’s top draft pick, Tom Boyd says he now has to win respect.
Boyd was selected by Greater Western Sydney with the first choice in Thursday night’s national draft on the Gold Coast.
But the 201cm tall forward says that was the easy part. Now comes the hard part: preseason training and settling into the Giants.
“I’m not naive enough to think that it’s going to be easy,” Boyd said.
“I’m sure preseason will probably be the hardest thing I have done.
“Everyone hates the grind of preseason but the rewards that come during the season will definitely make it worth it.
“I’ll just be looking to get on the training track. I don’t think I will be seeing too much of Sydney for the first week or so.”
The Giants secured Victorian midfielder Josh Kelly with the second pick of the draft, before St Kilda selected half-forward Jack Billings with the third choice.
The Western Bulldogs used pick four on Marcus Bontempelli and Gold Coast selected Tasmanian Kade Kolodjashnij with pick five – his twin Jake was taken by Geelong with pick 41.
Collingwood recruited South Australian defender Matt Scharenberg with the sixth pick and Brisbane opted for another South Australian, James Aish, at pick seven.
Hawthorn surprised many by choosing erratic forward Dayle Garlett with pick 38, a year after he was touted as a top 10 selection but overlooked because of ill-discipline off the field.
But the premiers’ recruiting manager Graham Wright said Garlett had changed his troubled ways.
“He has certainly been able to put a lot of controls around his life,” Wright said.