“We don’t need him to kick a hundred goals to win a premiership,” Sheedy said. “70 – 80 goals in a premiership team would be fantastic. Alastair Lynch did a great job for Brisbane last year without kicking a ton of goals,” Sheedy said.
Lloyd kicked in excess of 100 goals in Essendon’s 2000 premiership and again cracked the ton when the Bombers reached the Grand Final in 2001. He won the Coleman Medal in both seasons. But injury cut Lloyd down last season and he managed 47 goals from his 16 games.
Lloyd has had an exceptional pre-season for the Bombers and looks bigger and stronger than ever before. His form has been excellent in both of Essendon pre-season games. He has led well, marked strongly and kicked accurately. The marking is the most positive aspect of all that given the injury to his hand last season.
A young man who takes a lot of pride in his performance, Lloyd will want to take on the job of turning the Bombers’ fortunes around but Sheedy doesn’t want him putting undue pressure on himself.
Sheedy said the team as a whole had to work on finding multiple avenues to goal rather than going to Lloyd at every opportunity and becoming too predictable. “As a team we need to address being too ‘Lloyd conscious’ in front of goal,” Sheedy said. “We need to strengthen and focus on alternative approaches to on the forward line.”
Sheedy said it wasn’t only Lloyd’s ability to kick goals that the side missed when he was sidelined last season. “Obviously we missed Lloyd when he was out last year - he and Hird head up the forward line and when he kicks a bag of goals it pleases the fans and himself,” Sheedy said. “But together with James Hird, Matthew also demonstrates outstanding leadership on and off the field.”
