Star Essendon full forward Matthew Lloyd today signed a new two-year contract with Essendon Football Club. The new deal will ensure Lloyd remains with the Bombers until at least the end of the 2003 season.

After signing the contract Lloyd said he would like to think he would play the remainder of his career with Essendon. ""I'd like to be a one-club player and playing elsewhere wasn't ever a consideration,"" Lloyd said. ""And I think a lot of the other boys think the same way. We really enjoy playing together and I'd like to think this group can remain together and see what it can achieve.""

""I'm really pleased to have this contract completed so early in the season and I can now turn my attention to playing football,"" Lloyd said.

Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson was naturally thrilled to have signed Lloyd up for a further two years and said it was great news for Essendon supporters. ""Matthew is a prodigious talent and a player we want to ensure has a long and prosperous career at this club,"" Jackson said. ""To know he will be with this club for at least two more years and hopefully well into the future is a very exciting prospect for everyone who supports Essendon.""