Andrew Clarke - Matthew Lloyd: Straight Shooter

At his peak, Matthew Lloyd was a goal-kicking machine in an era when the power forward was fading from the game.

Straight Shooter is the story of a kid driven by a fear of failure, who climbed the highest peaks in football after teaching himself a routine that would help him become the most accurate shot for goal in the AFL.

It reveals how a boy with natural ability and a dream became the captain of the Essendon Football Club, a Premiership player and a life member of the AFL.

A five-time All-Australian, he topped the AFL goal kicking three times in his 270-game career and kicked the ton twice, his first in the Essendon Premiership season of 2000.

Lloyd also sheds light on his off-the-field life and transformation into a devoted father and multimedia expert on AFL, when it looked from the outside that his career was cut short before its time.

He delves into his testy relationship with his final coach, and the bone-crunching hit that saw him finish his time as a player on suspension.

Above all, it is a brutally honest account of an astonishing career from a man who is a straight shooter in more ways than one.

Foreword
by Lisa Lloyd

Foreword
by Scott Lucas

Chapter 1
Sleeping with Footballs

Chapter 2
More than Blood

Chapter 3
A Junior Jet

Chapter 4
The Schoolboy Footballer

Chapter 5
Sweet Pea Lines Up

Chapter 6
Backwards and Forwards

Chapter 7
Building Bulk Slowly

Chapter 8
Looking at a Future

Chapter 9
Self versus Team

Chapter 10
Part of the Team

Chapter 11
Our Most Painful Loss

Chapter 12
On a Mission

Chapter 13
Premiership Glory

Chapter 14
Back-to-Back Is Harder than It Sounds

Chapter 15
If It Bleeds

Chapter 16
The Time Had Come

Chapter 17
Cultural Shift

Chapter 18
The Prodigal Sons Return

Chapter 19
Losing Quality

Chapter 20
Back in Touch

Chapter 21
Reality Check

Chapter 22
Captain in Training

Chapter 23
Head

Chapter 24
The Spartans

Chapter 25
Fighting Back from the Brink

Chapter 26
New Era New Opportunities

Chapter 27
Jekyll & Hyde Football

Chapter 28
Finding My Feet Again

Chapter 29
Confidence Lost

Chapter 30
Lost Love

Chapter 31
Killing Bambi

Chapter 32
My New Game Plan

Chapter 33
Friends and Foes

Chapter 34
Other Peoples Thoughts

Epilogue
by Andrew Clarke

T O THE OUTSIDE WORLD and the football public, Matthew Lloyd is and will always be remembered as the champion Essendon full-forward who threw grass in the air before kicking one of his many goals. A rare talent who always kept his eyes on the ball, and a great role model on and off the field. Some may argue that his long and tedious goalkicking routine was annoying, but his professionalism, determination and motivation to succeed made him unbeatable on match day.

To me, he is all of the above and so much more. He is my husband, soul-mate and the father of my children. He is my partner in life, and he fills our home with love and laughter. He has such an uncontrollable laugh that he often ends up in tears. Matt is a dedicated and hands-on father to our two girls, Jaeda and Kira, and they absolutely adore him.

I am his biggest fan, and together we have experienced many highs and lows throughout his fifteen-year career. We met while in Year 12 in 1995. He was a shy seventeen-year-old and the nicest boy I had ever met. We instantly shared a connection and have been together ever since.

I wasnt a football fan when we met so I didnt realise there were such big raps regarding Matts football ability. But I soon cottoned on and went to almost every match he played, sitting with his parents, John and Bev, and my mother, Mary, to cheer him on from the grandstand. I was constantly anxious, always hoping he would play well, as I knew he went above and beyond in his preparation.

In the days leading up to a match Matt was always very focused and intense. He is very much a creature of habit: the night before he kicked thirteen goals against the Sydney Swans in 1999, he had eaten tuna pasta and so this became his pre-match meal on most occasions. The menu only changed if he had played badly the week before then we would alter the pasta sauce but still stick to the same routine.

He prepared for every match like it was his first, and was just as nervous every week throughout his entire career. I dont think he realised how talented or invincible he was on the field. He has never had the ego or arrogance of most people who are at the top of their profession, which is particularly true in sport, and I believe this is what makes him a unique individual. I will never forget some of his amazing games. It was a privilege to witness so many of his unbelievable marks and goals and, due to our close bond, to share in his joy and excitement.

Matt hasnt changed since the day we met. He is still the same down-to-earth, grounded person who always appreciates his family and friends, and I have no doubt that this is because of his parents, John and Bev, and the wonderful upbringing he had with his brothers, Simon and Brad, and sister, Kylie. I have watched him grow and become a champion of his sport, and he is now relishing his media and coaching roles.

The times leading up to Matts decision to retire were the most challenging and difficult of his career, apart from when he ripped his hamstring off the bone against the Western Bulldogs in 2006. That injury required such a long recovery process. Matt couldnt sit comfortably for months without the wound from the surgery bleeding, which made his rehabilitation even more challenging. But his determination is definitely one of his greatest attributes. I was so proud of his comeback to football, particularly when the media were already pre-empting his retirement due to the nature of the injury.

In 2008 Matt was out of form and under intense media scrutiny. I know him better than anyone, and I had never seen him so stressed and withdrawn. But his drive to get back to his best was amazing.

When Matt made the decision to retire in 2009, I took it pretty hard and felt it was premature. I had just given birth to our second daughter, Kira, so it was a very emotional time in any case, but in the end I understood that he wasnt enjoying playing football anymore. There was no talking him out of it, as I had done in 2008.

I am so proud of Matt. I am honoured to be his wife and the mother of his children. He is an inspiration and one of the best people you will ever meet. I hope our children inherit his ambition and motivation to succeed in life. I am extremely proud of his burgeoning media career, and I know that he is approaching this work with the same dedication and professionalism that he showed in his playing days. I love him and our two girls so much, and I am greatly looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

M ATTHEW L LOYD IS ONE of the true greats of the Essendon Football Club and the AFL. This is a view universally acknowledged by those who have watched any amount of football, and by the numerous opponents whom Lloydy terrorised over the years. I had the best seat in the house to observe this over his entire career, and Im happy to say that he made many of the kicks I sent in his general direction look far better than they actually were.