TOM Boyd hopes a club-imposed suspension for a drunken altercation with teammate Zaine Cordy turns out to be a "turning point" in his much-discussed career.
Boyd received an indefinite suspension from the club, as well as a $5000 fine, after it emerged he lashed out at his teammate following a prank gone wrong at a suburban pub in June.
Cordy suffered a cut to his face, requiring three stitches, in the incident.
Suckling sore at training
Boyd was ineligible to play in the senior team for three weeks, but returned to the AFL arena in round 17 and has not gone out of the team since.
"It was a challenging experience at times but at the end of the day, Zaine and I maintained such a strong relationship and we got over it pretty quickly," Boyd told AFL.com.au.
Boyd said he should never have found himself in the situation in the first place.
"I was really disappointed in myself. Like any player that gets suspended all they want to do is get back out there and put a good performance out on the park," Boyd said.
"I suppose my only frustration was that I was a little uncertain when I'd be able to return.
"Once I did it was all systems go and pushing ahead, and trying to achieve as much as we could.
"Looking back it was a real turning point for myself."
Cordy, who also remained available to play in the VFL but was banned from playing seniors like Boyd, said the pair remained the best of mates.
"The club helped us and we're well past that now," Cordy said.
"We're still very good friends and we've moved on."
Boyd, the No.1 pick from the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, has experienced a challenging second season at the Whitten Oval, made more difficult by the shoulder injury he has been carrying since round five.
The highly paid big man missed six weeks with the injury earlier in the year.
Boyd, who signed a seven-year deal worth more than $6 million to join the Bulldogs from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2014, revealed last week that he requires a shoulder reconstruction at the end of the season.
"I've had it strapped for almost 18 months now and each week presents a few different challenges," Boyd said.
"The last 15 weeks I haven't had any hiccups. It's a different challenge to the ones I've faced in the past, having not really carried an injury through the year.
Mega-preview: Grand Final, Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs
"But it's not giving me any trouble at the moment."
Boyd's role in the ruck, particularly if Jordan Roughead (eye) is ruled out or not at 100 per cent, will be crucial in combatting the mobility of Sydney Swans pair Kurt Tippett and Sam Naismith.
Saturday's Grand Final against the Swans will be Boyd's 38th AFL match and he cannot wait to get out there.
"We'll need to provide a good contest for our mids and our follow up work and our ability to provide a target around the ground is one of our great strengths," Boyd said.
"We've developed a really strong partnership and we'll bring that again this week."
