Harry buoyed by first season at Norwood

Helping lead the Redlegs to the finals, Boyd said his first season at Norwood was nothing short of a success.

“I really enjoyed my first season here at Norwood,” Boyd said.

“Playing in the first game was unbelievable and then to continue to get better throughout the whole year from an individual point of view was fantastic.

“Obviously, despite not getting the result we would have liked from the finals, to be able to play a couple of games at Adelaide Oval was a real thrill.”

Having had exposure both in the ruck and up forward, Boyd said he didn’t have a preference as to where he played as long as he was contributing to the team.

“Starting in the forward line I really enjoyed spending time next to Jackson Callow and playing alongside him,” he said.

“Then progressing into the ruck and developing my craft as a ruckman with Michael Knoll going down presented me with an opportunity I was really excited to take — one thing I did enjoy being in the ruck was the fact that you’re always involved, and you get an opportunity to be really competitive.

“To be honest I don’t have a favourite, playing either forward or in the ruck, as long as I am playing well and trying to help the team the best I can.”

While the retirement of seasoned stars such as Richard Douglas, Paul Puopolo and Mitch Grigg has many thinking the Redlegs will fall down the ladder in 2022, Boyd said he had confidence the club’s young talent could see it shine next year and beyond.

“Overall I think our fans should be excited,” he said.

“I know we’ve had a high turnover of players retire this year, but there is still a core of players aged from 18-19 right through to 26.

“I think our playing group is really exciting and we will continue to see natural growth, hopefully paired with some new recruits, to give us what we need moving forward.”