Jake Lloyd has re-signed with Sydney Swans, rebuffing big money offers from rivals
SYDNEY has secured star half-back Jake Lloyd on a new four-year contract after a season of speculation over his future after a big-money offer from Gold Coast.
Sydney
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sydney. Followed categories will be added to My News.
JAKE Lloyd has stemmed the run of player exits at the Sydney Swans by signing on for another four years.
The deal is a birthday celebration for the talented defender who turned 25 on Thursday and comes after Dan Hannebery and Gary Rohan requested trades while Nic Newman is exploring opportunities elsewhere.
Lloyd finished second in the Swans best-and-fairest last year and followed it up with another outstanding season in 2018 earning an All-Australian nomination.
HANNERS: SAINTS “NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE THINKS”
MOVES: HARLEY BULLISH ON SWANS TRADE PLANS
KNEE RECO: JOHNSON MAY NEED TO LOWER EXPECTATIONS
“Jake has developed really well over the last two years,” Swans football manager Tom Harley said.
“He’s played at a really consistent level and played a lot of minutes. His game is also developing in other areas including ball movement out of the backline.”
When negotiations stalled mid-season Lloyd was linked with a potential move to the Gold Coast and former Swans assistant Stuart Dew but Sydney kept its nerve and eventually got its man.
“You can never be too confident until a player actually commits,” Harley said.
“We’ve been open and honest with Jake all along and we are glad he’s committed long term.”
Lloyd is the perfect replacement for former skipper Jarrad McVeigh who has been the quarterback of the Swans defence in recent years.
“It would be fair to say Jarrad is a good player to learn and develop from,” Harley said.
“They have similar attributes, Jake has great ball use and composure and has elevated his game to a very high level. Macca is going around again and they complement each other well.”
Lloyd is currently on holidays in Hong Kong.