It’s one of the most iconic photographs in Western Bulldogs history.

Tom Boyd’s arms are outstretched, a look of pure pride and elation across his face, as Toby McLean straddles his back in the middle of the MCG on Grand Final day. 

The young man with the big contract had just kicked a goal for the ages to help deliver the Bulldogs their first premiership in 62 years.

Boyd should have been on top of the world.  He should have felt redeemed. 

But in reality, he was fighting a silent mental battle which would eventually come to a head over the next 12 months. 

Boyd came into the 2016 season in prime physical shape.  He was as fit as he’d ever been.  He was playing good footy.  But he couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Even though I was seeing significant improvement in my game, it wasn’t enough.  The public wasn’t thinking it was enough,” Boyd told Bob Murphy in a wide-ranging Bulldogs podcast, to be released on Monday, September 30.

“Ultimately it worked out really well that year, but if it hadn’t, there would’ve been a lot of criticism at the end of that year. 

“I think that’s when I was like, this is going to be hard work to try and get to the heights that I’m expected to get to.”

The constant ribbing from the public didn’t help.  It came when he was at training, or over the fence during games, or even when he was walking down the street. 

“I was getting a lot of it in the public domain, particularly in person when people would say stuff to me just walking past. 

“Over time it weighed me down a lot.  It was a strange contradiction because I felt like I was a good person…and it didn’t seem to count for much. 

“For me it was probably the death by a thousand cuts.  And I was getting it a lot.”