| Matthew Lloyd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lloyd in 2005 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Matthew James Lloyd | ||
| Nicknames | Lloydy, Velvet Sledgehammer,[1] Lordo[2] | ||
| Born | (1978-04-16)16 April 1978 (age 47) Melbourne,Victoria | ||
| Original team | Western Jets (TAC Cup)/Avondale Heights | ||
| Draft | 1995 Pre-Season Draft | ||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 93 kg (205 lb) | ||
| Position | Full-forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1995–2009 | Essendon | 270 (926) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1997–1999 | Victoria | 3 (8) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 2001 | Australia | 2 (4) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2009. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Matthew James Lloyd (born 16 April 1978) is a former professionalAustralian rules footballer, who played for theEssendon Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL).
A highly decoratedfull-forward, Lloyd's AFL's honours include being the eighth all-timeleading goalkicker in the history of AFL/VFL, including threeColeman Medals as leading goalkicker in the league, AFL life membership, and winning both theMark of the Year andGoal of the Year awards.[3][4][5] Among his representative honours are fiveAll-Australian selections, three times representing theVictoria State of Origin team, as well as twice representing Australia inInternational rules football.
Lloyd has kicked over 100 goals in a season twice.[6] He also belongs to the relatively small group of players whosefirst kick in the AFL resulted in a goal. With 926 goals from 270 games, he holds the record for the most career goals at Essendon, including winning the leading goalkicker award 12 times—five more times than any other Bomber. Upon his retirement, the award was renamed theMatthew Lloyd Medal in his honour.[7][8]
Matthew Lloyd was born in Melbourne in 1978 to parentsJohn (a former VFL footballer who played 29 games for theCarlton Football Club from 1965–1967) and Bev Lloyd. The Lloyds moved to Scotland for three years because of John's work, and it was there that Matthew picked uprugby andsoccer playing for hisCurrie club.
Lloyd attended St Martin De Porres Parish Primary School inAvondale Heights before moving toSt. Bernard's College inEssendon.[9] He played juniorfootball forAvondale Heights Football Club in theEssendon District Football League.
He supported theFitzroy Football Club when he was young because in the first game he attended, Fitzroy playerBernie Quinlan kicked nine goals.[10]
Lloyd was drafted into the AFL as a 16-year-old in the1995 Pre-season Draft as a "compensatory selection" that was awarded to Essendon by the AFL in return for losingTodd Ridley to the newly formedFremantle Football Club. The Bombers picked up what would be one of their all-time greats for a relative pittance in the draft. Lloyd was heralded as a future football star after his AFL debut in Round 14, 1995, where he scored a goal with his first kick in league football and three for the match.
The key features of Lloyd's game were his powerfulmarks on the lead (particularly overhead), his use of his body in a defensive capacity and accurate goal kicking, particularly fromset shots on his left foot. He converted a large majority of set shots inside the50-metre arc and kicked further than 50 metres on a regular basis.
Lloyd was known for his ritual when taking set shots at goal. Almost every time, he took time to go far back on the mark, pull both his socks up, and then grab some grass and throw it into the air to measure the wind and take a very long run-up before kicking; this was his method of following advice given to him by coaches to bring down his heart rate in order to focus better. In 2006, the AFL introduced a "shot clock" to limit the amount of time that players had to take set shots; although Lloyd's ritual was not the longest in the league, its quirks made it so well known that the rule became commonly known as the "Lloyd Rule".[11] Lloyd adjusted his ritual to fit into the new rule, and he still retained the most famous aspect (throwing grass) until the end of his career.
Lloyd's goal-scoring ability enabled him to top the Essendon goal scoring every year from 1997 to 2009, except for 2006 when he only played three games due to a serious hamstring injury.
Lloyd was selected in theAll-Australian team on five occasions (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003), won theColeman Medal for kicking the most goals in the regular season three times (2000, 2001 and 2003)[12] and twice kicked more than 100 goals in a completed season (109 in 2000 and 105 in 2001; on both occasions he reached the milestone during the finals).
Lloyd was a member of Essendon's2000 premiership team and was captain of Essendon from 2006 to 2009. He was recognised for his achievements at Essendon in 2002 when he was ranked the 22nd-greatest player ever to play for the club in the "Champions of Essendon" list.[13]
Lloyd was appointed Essendon captain ahead of the2006 season afterJames Hird elected to stand down following the side's disappointing2005 season.[14] Lloyd's first match as Essendon captain resulted in a 27-point win over the defending premiersSydney, where he kicked eight goals (six of them in the first quarter alone). It would be the only win that Essendon would enjoy under Lloyd's captaincy until they beat Brisbane in Round 17.
In addition to serving as captain and earning life membership at Essendon,[15][16] Lloyd is also the team's all-time-highest goal scorer.[17]
In 2013, Lloyd was inducted as a member of theAustralian Football Hall of Fame[18] and as a Legend in the Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame.[19]
Lloyd had a successfulState of Origin career, kicking 8 goals in 3 games. He first played forVictoria in 1997, againstSouth Australia, kicking 3 goals, including asnap kick along the ground from near the boundary line, which went one way and then curved back another.[20] In 1998, Lloyd kicked two goals againstThe Allies, in Brisbane. Lloyd last played for Victoria in 1999 against South Australia in the second-last-ever State of Origin game, kicking 3 goals and being named in the best players.[21]
In Round 20, 2007, Lloyd kicked a backheel goal whilst surrounded by opponents and was awarded the 2007Goal of the Year.[22]
In Round 18, 2008, against theMelbourne Demons, Lloyd took aspectacular mark above five players to win the 2008Mark of the Year. Immediately after the mark, Lloyd recalled in a 2022 episode ofThe Sunday Footy Show that he roasted his opponentMatthew Warnock afterwards:[23]
"You've always wanted to be on afooty card; now you'll probably be on one."
A haul of eight goals in that match gave Lloyd his best return since Round 1, 2006.
In Round 3, 1999, Lloyd, aged just 21 at the time, kicked a record 13 goals against theSydney Swans at the MCG, kicking the first goal of the game and breakingJohn Coleman's record for most goals kicked by an Essendon player against the Swans.[24]
In his first game as Essendon captain, also playing against the Sydney Swans, Lloyd kicked eight goals (six in the first quarter against his opponent,Leo Barry)[25][24] He kicked a total of 69 goals playing against the Swans throughout his career.[26]
During Essendon's 1996 preliminary final against theSydney Swans in Sydney, Lloyd ruptured his spleen in the second quarter. He suffered a large amount of blood loss and spent 10 days in intensive care in a Sydney hospital.[27][28]
In Round 6, 2002, againstFremantle, Lloyd ruptured a tendon in his right ring finger when it was caught in his opponent's guernsey. It required surgery to be reattached, and he was out for eight weeks.
Lloyd returned in Round 14 against theWestern Bulldogs whenSteven Kretiuk controversially targeted his injured hand.[29]
Midway through the third quarter of the Essendon vs. Western Bulldogs match on 16 April 2006 (which happened to be Lloyd's 28th birthday), opponentBrian Harris accidentally fell on Lloyd as he tried to mark the ball. Lloyd walked off the ground with the aid of trainers and did not return for the rest of the match. Following scans, a week later it was revealed that the hamstring tendon had been snapped off the bone. Surgery to repair the career-threatening injury took place, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.[30][31] Lloyd's absence from the team was felt hard, as the Bombers, despite high expectations, finished 15th on the ladder at season's end with a final win-loss record of 3–1–18.[32] As Lloyd was captain of Essendon and was unable to play for the remainder of the season (his first year of captaincy, in fact),David Hille was promoted to team captain in Lloyd's absence.
Lloyd made a successful comeback againstAdelaide atAAMI Stadium in Round 1, 2007. He kicked two goals while working further up the ground, putting to rest any concerns about his injured hamstring. Essendon beat Adelaide by 31 points.
In Round 22, 2009, Lloyd hitHawthorn playerBrad Sewell with a heavy bump that left him unconscious and with facial injuries, and it led to a brawl between the two teams.[33][34] TheEssendon–Hawthorn rivalry is fierce, first reaching a flashpoint in the 1980s and peaking in the infamousLine in the Sand Match in 2004. In the bitter aftermath of the 2009 match in which four players were suspended for a total of seven matches and $27,000 in fines were handed out, Hawthorn'sCampbell Brown called Lloyd "one of the biggest snipers in the game" and said that "his time is coming".[35] Hawthorn coachAlastair Clarkson threatened Lloyd and abused an interchange steward and had to be restrained by Hawthorn football manager Mark Evans as the teams left the field.[36] AFL CEOAndrew Demetriou defended Lloyd's reputation;[37] Clarkson was fined for his comments[38] and later apologised for the outburst.[39]
Essendon went on to win the match by 17 points after trailing by 22 points at the time of the incident, and in the week after the match, Lloyd was given a six-match suspension by the match review panel for the hit on Sewell. This was reduced to four matches after he decided not to appeal the sanction.[40] Lloyd only served one match of his suspension, missing Essendon's 96-point elimination final loss toAdelaide atAAMI Stadium, before announcing his retirement on 23 September 2009.
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Led the league for the season only | |
| Led the league after finals only | |
| Led the league after season and finals |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 1995 | Essendon | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 31 | 17 | 48 | 22 | 1 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 9.6 | 4.4 | 0.2 |
| 1996 | Essendon | 18 | 11 | 18 | 7 | 78 | 34 | 112 | 46 | 11 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 7.1 | 3.1 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 1.0 |
| 1997 | Essendon | 18 | 20 | 63 | 33 | 212 | 125 | 272 | 125 | 17 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 10.6 | 3.0 | 13.6 | 6.3 | 0.9 |
| 1998 | Essendon | 18 | 23 | 70 | 38 | 249 | 77 | 326 | 156 | 24 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 10.8 | 3.3 | 14.2 | 6.8 | 1.0 |
| 1999 | Essendon | 18 | 22 | 87 | 40 | 239 | 54 | 293 | 142 | 22 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 10.9 | 2.5 | 13.3 | 6.5 | 1.0 |
| 2000 | Essendon | 18 | 25 | 109 | 60 | 323 | 68 | 391 | 186 | 21 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 12.9 | 2.7 | 15.6 | 7.4 | 0.8 |
| 2001 | Essendon | 18 | 21 | 105 | 36 | 244 | 49 | 293 | 158 | 23 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 11.6 | 2.3 | 14.0 | 7.5 | 1.1 |
| 2002 | Essendon | 18 | 16 | 47 | 29 | 143 | 40 | 183 | 96 | 11 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 8.9 | 2.5 | 11.4 | 6.0 | 0.7 |
| 2003 | Essendon | 18 | 22 | 93 | 30 | 204 | 66 | 270 | 140 | 21 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 9.3 | 3.0 | 12.3 | 6.4 | 1.0 |
| 2004 | Essendon | 18 | 24 | 96 | 39 | 228 | 49 | 277 | 134 | 35 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 9.5 | 2.0 | 11.5 | 5.6 | 1.5 |
| 2005 | Essendon | 18 | 20 | 59 | 29 | 181 | 51 | 232 | 104 | 23 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 9.1 | 2.6 | 11.6 | 5.2 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | Essendon | 18 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 34 | 17 | 51 | 23 | 1 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 11.2 | 5.7 | 17.0 | 7.7 | 0.3 |
| 2007 | Essendon | 18 | 19 | 62 | 31 | 214 | 59 | 273 | 124 | 33 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 11.3 | 3.1 | 14.4 | 6.5 | 1.7 |
| 2008 | Essendon | 18 | 21 | 62 | 16 | 199 | 83 | 282 | 144 | 35 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 9.5 | 4.0 | 13.4 | 6.9 | 1.7 |
| 2009 | Essendon | 18 | 18 | 35 | 27 | 131 | 88 | 219 | 104 | 26 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 7.3 | 4.9 | 12.2 | 5.8 | 1.4 |
| Career | 270 | 926 | 424 | 2710 | 812 | 3522 | 1704 | 304 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 6.3 | 1.1 | ||
| Brownlow Medal votes | |
| Season | Votes |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 |
| 1997 | 7 |
| 1998 | 5 |
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2000 | 14 |
| 2001 | 15 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 10 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| Total | 97 |
On 23 September 2009, Lloyd announced his retirement to a packed media conference at the Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame. Although he had been offered another contract,[42] Lloyd said that "now is my time from a physical and mental point of view" and that he would "...prefer to go a year too early than a year too late."[43]
To celebrate Lloyd's career, the Coventry End ofDocklands Stadium is renamed the Lloyd End for Essendon home games.[44]
In 2009, Lloyd was appointed assistant coach at the AIS-AFL Academy;[45] however, he ruled out applying for an AFL coaching position.[46]
Lloyd co-hosted children's AFL showAuskick'n Around onFox Footy Channel withBrad Johnson from theWestern Bulldogs from 2003 until it was cancelled at the end of 2005.
In 2006, Lloyd had a weekly spot as a panelist onFox Footy'sWhite Line Fever and, after being forced to spend extended time off the field because of injury, he became recognised for his informative views on all things football – his roles included being aspecial comments commentator onTriple M's football coverage as well as more regular appearances onThe AFL Footy Show as a panelist.
In 2009, Lloyd appeared as a regular panelist on a new show,One Week at a Time, as well as doing special comments onNetwork Ten and writing a regular column forThe Age newspaper. Following his retirement, Lloyd has been heavily involved in the media.
Lloyd signed with the Network Ten[47] AFL team as an expert commentator for the2010 and2011 AFL seasons on Channel Ten andOne HD (he had already provided special commentary during various matches of the2009 AFL season for the network), untilTen Sport lost the rights at the end of the 2011 AFL season. He also worked for radio stationSEN, was a co-host ofThe Game Plan on One HD during 2011, and continued working forThe Age.[48]
Lloyd's autobiography (co-authored with Andrew Clarke),Straight Shooter, was released in July 2011.[49][50]
After Network Ten lost the AFL broadcasting rights, Lloyd joined theNine Network for 2012 to be a panelist onThe Footy Show andThe Sunday Footy Show.[51] He also left SEN to join3AW's AFL special comments team.
In 2013, he joinedFooty Classified as a panelist alongsideGary Lyon,Craig Hutchison andCaroline Wilson; as well as continuing his regular roles onThe Sunday Footy Show and 3AW Football. Lloyd is also a recurring panelist onThe Footy Show and on occasion appears onNine News Melbourne to provide insights into the weekly round of matches.[52]
In March 2022, Lloyd announced onFooty Classified that he hadBell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis.[53][54][55]
On 14 November 2014, it was announced that Lloyd would return to the Essendon Football Club as a part-time forwards coach, working closely with the club's forwards.[56]
He currently coaches the school football side atHaileybury College in Melbourne.[57]
Lloyd's parents areJohn and Bev Lloyd. John Lloyd played 29 games forCarlton from 1965–1967 and coached the Braybrook Football Club to three premierships. The family moved to Scotland for three years because of John Lloyd's work and it was there that Lloyd playedrugby andsoccer for hisCurrie club.
Lloyd has two older brothers, Simon, who is an assistant coach at theGeelong Football Club,[58] andBrad, who is a formerHawthorn player (and former captain of theWilliamstown Football Club) and now head of football at theCarlton Football Club,[59] as well as one older sister, Kylie, who is the Finance Manager at Nine Network Australia.
On 9 November 2002, Lloyd married his childhood sweetheart, Lisa-Marie Caparello, usually known as "Lisa", atXavier College Chapel. Their wedding was covered byNew Idea magazine, and a documentary of the day, titledOne Day in November, was also aired onFox Footy Channel. Lisa Lloyd appeared onThe Footy Show's singing competition,Screamers, in 2005[60] and was also a regular presenter onFox Footy'sLiving With Footballers.[61]
The Lloyds have three children: Jaeda Ruby (born December 2006),[62] Kira Grace (born September 2009)[63] and Jacob Matthew (born November 2012).[64]
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Coach:Matthews | ||