From Deniliquin to Dolphins, Sam Lloyd heads to RichmondHerald-Sun
November 25, 2013 2:12PMIT'S been an amazing journey, and Sam Lloyd has earned his stripes.
The boy from Deniliquin last Thursday achieved something he once thought was out of his reach - being drafted into the AFL.
Richmond snapped him up with pick 66.
"I came from 'Deni' (Deniliquin), went to Mt Eliza, then Frankston and now I'm here at Richmond. It hasn't sunk in,'' Lloyd said last Friday.
"The whole world has flipped upside down for me.''
The day after he became a Tiger, Lloyd, 23, went to the house of Mt Eliza footballer Jack Egan, to say thanks.
Egan was the man who convinced Lloyd to play at Mt Eliza, thus opening doors for him. The pair were at uni together.
"I was getting a bit over the travel (to Deniliquin) so I needed a club around Melbourne and he said come down and play at Mt Eliza, so I did,'' Lloyd said.
"I can thank Jack. He's taking all the credit … I think he's getting a bigger head than I am,'' he laughed.
Lloyd was a star with the Deniliquin Rams but he never seriously thought he'd make it to the AFL.
"I'd given up. I never thought I was good enough,'' he said. "My coach got the ball rolling from Deni and rang someone and they said come in for a meeting and I played a few games at Bendigo Bombers.''
A dazzling season at Mt Eliza was followed by a break-out year in the VFL with the Frankston Dolphins.
Simon Goosey, Frankston's coach, was thrilled to see him get an opportunity.
"I'm rapt for him,'' Goosey said.
"This time last year we had a good chat. He had to lose five kilos off his back side. He worked as hard as anyone I've seen. Ability alone doesn't get you there but he's got that work ethic that's required. He'll do really well.''
Lloyd said: "When I decided to have a crack and get fairdinkum, I didn't even think about getting drafted. I just wanted to play VFL. I got fitter and then you start playing good games and you just don't know what's going to happen.
"If I had any advice for kids who think they've got the ability…definitely give it a crack because you never know what could happen. It was a million miles away for me a year and a half ago.''
http://www.news.com.au/national/from-deniliquin-to-dolphins-sam-lloyd-heads-to-richmond/story-e6frfkp9-1226767906762