Tom Boyd’s AFL registration rescinded, Norwood return closer

Premiership star Tom Boyd is one step closer to returning to his junior club with the AFL rescinding his Western Bulldogs registration, leaving the door open for him to sign at Norwood.

Tom Boyd’s AFL registration has been rescinded, clearing the way for a return to Norwood. Picture: Getty Images

One piece of paperwork has been completed.

But the most important bit — a signature on a registration/clearance form — has yet to happen as Tom Boyd weighs up joining Norwood for the rest of the Eastern Football League season.

Boyd would need to apply pen to paper by June 30 to run out with his junior club this year.

The 2016 Western Bulldogs premiership star attended Norwood training last night, watching on as the Norsemen prepared for their match against Doncaster tomorrow.

He’s also been to a few matches this year.

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Boyd, 23, played junior football with many of the Norwood players and his family has a long involvement with the club.

Norwood president Mark Etherington confirmed that the AFL this week rescinded Boyd’s registration with the Bulldogs, the first step towards him playing with the Norsemen.

But he stressed that Boyd hadn’t decided if he would pull the boots on and the club was placing no pressure on him.

“We’ve invited him down to the club in whatever capacity that looks like for him,’’ he said.

“What the AFL did paves the way for a playing opportunity for him — it was a procedural task the AFL needed to undertake as part of the exit exercise — but it doesn’t confirm anything at this point in time.

Tom Boyd retired from AFL after playing 61 games. Picture: George Salpigtidis

“There are medicals and all sorts of things he would need to go through.’’

Asked if he was confident Boyd would sign by June 30 — the clearance cut-off for Eastern and other suburban leagues — Etherington said he was “more hopeful than confident’’.

“Tom’s openly said he’d love to get back involved at Norwood but at no stage have we confirmed exactly what that involvement entails,’’ he said.

“Naturally we’ll leave every door open.’’

Boyd retired from the AFL last month after 61 games.

“My decision to retire now is a reflection of issues I’ve had over the past five years both with physical injury and with mental health, and they have now accumulated to a point where I just don’t have the desire to play or the enjoyment of the game I used to have,” Boyd said in a Bulldogs press statement.