Matthew Lloyd

For the racing cyclist, see Matthew Lloyd (cyclist).

Matthew Lloyd
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Lloydy, Velvet Sledgehammer
Original team(s)	Avondale Heights/Western U18
Debut	Round 14, 8 July 1995, Essendon vs. Adelaide, at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Height / weight	192 cm / 92 kg
Position(s)	Full Forward
Playing career1
Essendon 252 games, 891 goals
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008.
Career highlights
International rules series 1998, 2001; Jim Stynes Medal 2001 All-Australian 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 Essendon premiership side 2000 Coleman Medal winner 2000, 2001, 2003 Having Kick to kick with stefan carbone!:P Essendon yearly leading goalkicker 1997-2005, 2007, 2008 Essendon all time leading goalkicker Third youngest player in VFL/AFL history to kick 700+ goals Fourth youngest player in VFL/AFL history to kick 800+ goals Eighth highest goal scorer in VFL/AFL history Essendon life membership State of Origin (Victoria) 1998 Goal Of The Year (2007) Mark Of The Year (2008)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Matthew James Lloyd (born 16 April 1978) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for and is captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. He is the leading goal scorer of all time for Essendon and the eighth highest in the league's history.

Lloyd attended St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School in Avondale Heights before moving on St Bernards College, Essendon.

He barracked for Fitzroy Football Club when he was young because in the first game he attended, Fitzroy player Bernie Quinlan kicked 9 goals.

Football career

Lloyd was drafted into the AFL as a 16 year old in the 1995 Pre-season Draft as a "compensatory selection" that was awarded to Essendon by the AFL in return for losing Todd Ridley to the newly formed Fremantle 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 1995, where he scored a goal with his first kick in league football.

The key features of Matthew Lloyd's game are his powerful marks on the lead (particularly overhead), his use of his body in a defensive capacity and deadly accurate goal kicking, particularly from set shots, off either foot. He converts a vast majority of set shots inside the 50-metre arc, and kicks further than 50 metres on a regular basis. Lloyd is known for his ritual when taking set shots at goal. Without fail, almost every time he takes the time to go far back on the mark, pull both his socks up, then grab some grass and throw it into the air to measure the wind and take a very long run up before kicking. He was the subject of some controversy when the AFL introduced the "shot clock" to limit the amount of time that players had to take set shots, which was labelled by many opposition supporters as being the "Lloyd rule".

This goalscoring ability has enabled him to top the Essendon goal scoring for nine consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2005 and again in seasons 2007 and 2008.

Lloyd has been selected in the All Australian Team on five occasions (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003), has won the Coleman Medal for kicking the most goals in the regular season three times, (2000, 2001 and 2003), and has twice kicked more than 100 goals in a season (109 in 2000 and 105 in 2001).

Lloyd was a member of Essendon's 2000 premiership team, and has been Captain of Essendon since 2006. 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.

Lloyd played his 200th game for Essendon in round 13. against St Kilda.

2006 injury

Round One, 2006 the Bombers played the Sydney Swans at Telstra Dome, Lloyd kicked eight goals in a Bombers victory.

Midway through the third quarter of the Essendon vs. Bulldogs match on 16 April (which happened to be Lloyd's 28th birthday), opponent Brian 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 there was a tear in the hamstring tendon which consequently ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Lloyd made a successful comeback against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in Round One, 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.

File:LloydMark 246.jpg

2008 Mark of the Year

Outside interests

Television/Media

Lloyd co-hosted children's AFL show Auskick'n Around on Fox Footy Channel with Brad Johnson from the Western Bulldogs Football Club before it was cancelled at the end of 2005.

In 2005, Lloyd and his wife Lisa were contestants on AFL Lovematch - a gameshow that was on Fox Footy Channel where AFL couples are tested on how well they know each other. They won, defeating Luke Livingston and his partner.

In 2006 Lloyd had a weekly spot as a panelist on Fox Footy's "White Line Fever" and after being forced to spend an extended time off the field because of injury, has become recognised for his informative views on all things football - his roles included being a special comments commentator on Triple M's football coverage as well as more regular appearances on The AFL Footy Show as a panelist.

In 2009 Lloyd will appear as a regular panelist on a new show, One Week At A Time, on Channel 10's sports HD channel.

Family

His parents are John and Bev Lloyd. John played 29 games for the Carlton Football Club from 1965-1967 and was also a diplomat. The Lloyds moved to Scotland for 3 years because of John's work, and it was there that Lloyd picked up rugby and soccer by playing for his Currie club.

Lloyd has 2 older brothers, Simon, who is the High Performance Manager at the Collingwood Football Club, and Brad, who is the former captain of the Williamstown Football Club (and former Hawthorn player) and now national recruiting manager for the Fremantle Football Club , as well as one older sister, Kylie, who is the Unit Manager at The Footy Show.

On 9 November 2002 Lloyd married his childhood sweetheart Lisa-Marie Caparello, known as Lisa, at Xavier College Chapel. They were first introduced by a mutual friend at a party when they were in Year 12 and have been together ever since. Their lavish wedding was covered by New Idea magazine and a documentary of the day titled One Day In November was also aired on Fox Footy Channel. Lloyd wore a suit by Pino Ciano while Lisa wore a gown by Armadale designer Jane Hill.

Lisa has appeared on The Footy Show's singing competition, Screamers and was also a regular presenter on Fox Footy's Living With Footballers before the show was cancelled at the end of 2004. She has studied singing, taught herself piano, worked for Ricky Nixon's sports management company "Flying Start" and now works as a Hyperbaric Technician. Lisa was also listed in Scot Palmers "Most Powerful Women In Football".

On 20 June 2006 it was announced that they were expecting their first child in December. At 7:20pm on 15 December 2006 Lisa gave birth to a baby girl, Jaeda Ruby, who weighed in at 9 pounds, 4 ounces. In his 2007 Player Profile, Lloyd listed Jaeda as being both the best gift he's ever received and one of the highlights of his life. Also, in an interview with Alpha Magazine in May 2007, Lloyd declared that Jaeda was his "pride and joy".

External links

• Matthew Lloyd's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
• Matthew Lloyd's playing statistics from AFL Tables