Fremantle have added a blend of playing and coaching experience to their ranks with former Collingwood assistant coach and Western Bulldogs premiership player Matthew Boyd joining the club as an assistant coach (defence).
Boyd played 292 games for the Bulldogs between 2003 and 2017. He captained the side between 2011 and 2013, earned three All Australian jackets and won three best and fairest awards.
In his time at the Bulldogs he played alongside Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick and was also a premiership teammate with defender Joel Hamling in 2016.
After retiring from playing, Boyd joined Collingwood as a development coach in 2018 and worked alongside Justin Longmuir for two seasons.
In 2020, Boyd took on the defence coach role left vacant by Longmuir when he joined Fremantle as senior coach.
Longmuir said he was looking forward to working with Boyd once again.
“Matthew is a person of really high character and I’m looking forward to seeing him get around our young players,” Longmuir said.
“I thought he was a really driven young coach when he was at Collingwood and he really helped me a lot. I also look forward to helping him develop his coaching career.
“He’s a good relationship builder. He’s very good at working with players one-on-one and he understands what it takes to be a professional footballer for a long time.
“He’s done a lot in footy, but most of all, he’s a good coach and I know he’ll impart a lot of his knowledge and experience on our players and make the team better.”
Boyd said having the chance to work with Longmuir again was a key factor in his decision to take on the role.
“I’m really excited to be a part of the culture that’s really building at Fremantle,” Boyd said.
“A big part of my decision to come over was clearly my relationship with Justin. He’s been an amazing mentor to me in the short coaching career that I’ve had so far and this was an opportunity to continue to learn from him.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Fremantle Dockers after a really positive year and I know that the footy club is heading in the right direction.
“To be a part of that at the start of a really exciting journey was something that appealed to me.”
While Fremantle have a youthful playing list they also boast a young coaching group, lead by the 39-year-old Longmuir. At 38, Boyd joins 40-year-old midfield coach Josh Carr and 36-year-old forward coach David Hale.
Boyd said his recent playing experience made it easy to relate to the playing group.
“I think footy is the hardest game in the world and your ability to empathise and relate to what the players are going through is important,” Boyd said.
“It’s about being able to teach and educate so the right message is getting through and the players are understanding as best as possible.
“While it’s obviously great to have experience, youth brings a whole lot of energy and vitality for the job and I’ll certainly bring my energy to the role as best as I can.
“I’m really excited to work with the young and emerging backline and I can’t wait to get over there and meet the boys and try and help them as best as I can.”
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