Retired #24 Matt de Boer (Pick 58, 2016 National Draft)

Apr 30, 2011
8,230
7,565
Wollongong
AFL Club
GWS
Matt de Boer
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Height: 186cm
Weight: 86kg
D/O/B: 10/3/1990
Position: Mid

Selection No.58 – Matt de Boer
Adrian Caruso says: "We lost a lot of players over the trade period so we looked for a player who was ready-made, who adds character, work ethic and leadership for our younger guys. Leon (Cameron) was really impressed with him as a man who understands what he's coming across for."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-11-25/giants-get-their-man-with-big-game-player-taranto
 
Last edited:
Be making up the numbers for a month or so......

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/3decbbef3a8595a86db2ee69f0eaead4


Injury setback for new GWS Giants midfielder Matt de Boer
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Jordan McArdle, PerthNow
February 21, 2017 3:25pm
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MATT de Boer will have to wait for his GWS Giants debut after suffering a hamstring injury at training on Monday.

The 26-year-old, who played 138 games for Fremantle before getting a second chance at Greater Western Sydney in last year’s national draft, will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

Giants head of athletic performance David Joyce said it was a disappointing setback for de Boer, who had impressed since arriving at the club.

“Matt has contributed really well to our playing group throughout the pre-season,” Joyce told the club website.

“This is obviously a disappointing setback for Matt but no doubt he'll do his rehab very diligently to return to the field in the coming weeks."

It means de Boer won’t feature in the JLT Series after he wasn’t picked in the Giants’ pre-season opener against West Coast.Fellow former Docker Tendai Mzungu had a good first outing in orange, gathering 22 disposals and kicking a goal to be among the team’s best in their 33-point win over a youthful Eagles outfit.
 
https://thewest.com.au/sport/former...in-return-from-hamstring-injury-ng-b88449032z

Former Docker Matt de Boer gets through first game as a GWS Giant in return from hamstring injury
Jordan McArdleTuesday, 18 April 2017 12:17PM
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Matt De Boer during his Fremantle days. Picture: Ian MunroPicture: The West Australian


Former Docker Matt de Boer enjoyed a successful return from a hamstring injury, getting through his first game as a GWS Giant unscathed.

De Boer played 70 per cent game time in the Giants’ 16-point NEAFL loss to Canberra on Saturday and was one of his team’s best with 24 disposals, eight clearances, five tackles and two goals.

The 27-year-old, who was given a lifeline at GWS in last year’s national draft after 138 games at Fremantle, had a delayed start to the season and missed the entire JLT Community Series due to a pre-season hamstring setback.

“We were really pleased to see Matt get through unscathed,” Giants NEAFL coach Brad Miller told the club website.

“His attitude was terrific and he was super professional around our young group.”

Fellow ex-Docker Tendai Mzungu is facing another 8-10 weeks on the sidelines after he tore his hamstring against Adelaide in round one.


More on link
 
https://thewest.com.au/sport/former...s-giants-debut-against-richmond-ng-b88482858z

Matt de Boer says he tried to take a leaf out of his former Fremantle teammate David Mundy’s book by kicking a clutch final-quarter goal in his Greater Western Sydney debut on Saturday.

While it wasn’t an after-the-siren effort like Mundy’s against Richmond at the MCG last week, de Boer’s major deep in the final term helped complete a remarkable come-from-behind win over the Tigers at Spotless Stadium.

De Boer, who had 17 possessions and five tackles after being a late inclusion for the injured Devon Smith (knee), hailed the former Dockers skipper’s influence on his career.
 
Matt de Boer's Giant chance to right wrongs of 2013 with GWS
Eight years, close to 150 games, including 10 finals and one "granny": Matt de Boer had carved out a career many newcomers would gladly take but had Greater Western Sydney not thrown him a football lifeline he would not have retired a satisfied man.

"No regrets" is a phrase often uttered by footballers when they hang up the boots - but if it was to end now one senses de Boer would not be able to say that.

"There would have been that feeling that I hadn't achieved the ultimate in what I had set out to do. There'd be that level of disappointment," de Boer said.
It's four years since de Boer was part of the Fremantle side that was beaten by Hawthorn in the grand final but time has not washed away the anguish, or stopped thoughts of what may have been.
"[It] still sits with me, I've got disappointment and regrets from there," he said. .
.............

Delisted at season's end, de Boer was on holiday in Vietnam when he learned of Leon Cameron's interest. As talented as the Giants' list is, they were keen to increase their depth with ready-made players.

He and long-time Dockers teammate Tendai Mzungu both benefited. The pair play their first game together in orange, charcoal and white on Saturday.

"We came in with no sense of entitlement. We had an honest chat to Leon before coming, where the team was at, what we'd have to do to crack in," de Boer says.

More in the link..http://www.smh.com.au/afl/greater-w...-wrongs-of-2013-with-gws-20170707-gx6mj5.html
 

Ichabod Noodle

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Good article from Michael Barlow on the eve of his 150 courtesy of AFL Players website
http://www.aflplayers.com.au/article/matt-de-boer-is-like-no-one-ive-ever-been-around/


Matt de Boer is like no one I’ve ever been around
Michael BarlowAug 16, 2017
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Ahead of Matt de Boer’s 150th game at the top level, his close friend and former teammate, Michael Barlow, provides a poignant insight into the consummate clubman.

By the time I got to Fremantle, Matt de Boer was in the leadership group which gives you an understanding about the regard he was held in.

Coming off a rookie list at 19 and then to eventually be in the leadership group was a fair effort. He became a mainstay there until his time at the club came to an end.

His strength has always been his ability to lead and to challenge others. He won’t mind me saying that at Fremantle he was always the 40th best footballer on the list based on talent and it’s probably similar at GWS, but I’ve never been surprised that he has played regularly.

He is integral to their team and their finals aspirations because of his leadership and his ruthless nature.

Matty is someone that will make more of a crust outside of the game, which is the opposite to a lot of footballers.

Back when he first started out, he could have been drafted a year earlier but decided to start university and saw the opportunity to get a chunk of his studies done first — he’s unique in the way he’s approached his career — he hasn’t been dictated to by the norm.

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Even last year when he got the opportunity at GWS, he was second-guessing it because he was thinking about kick-starting his business life.

Through some advice from some people close to him, he decided to grab the opportunity knowing that his other work would always be there.

Honestly, he is like no one I’ve ever been around at a football club — his ability to professionally challenge individuals but also maintain a personal relationship with them is incredible.

Whether it be Matthew Pavlich or a first-year player, he was never daunted at the prospect of making others better and putting the hard word on them.

Through our Fremantle years when we were up and going and playing finals, a real strength of our group was to be able to challenge each other.

If Matthew Pavlich didn’t go hard enough, Matt de Boer would put that on the agenda and everyone would be able to accept the feedback.

He’s one of those guys that you walk taller playing with because you know how hard he is and that he’ll do everything in his power to protect you.

Last year was really tough for the likes of myself, Matt de Boer, Tendai Mzungu and Alex Silvagni.

We were players that had been around for a while but were on the outer. The writing was on the wall.

I envied the way Matt and Tendai handled themselves in the latter half of the year.

It was about Round 4 when both of them were dropped — and they’re best mates those two — and 90 percent of footballers would begrudge the system and the club because they were being squeezed out, even though they may have been in our best 22 if we were in finals contention.

The club needed to go down a youthful path and they were the ones who suffered. I envied him because I let myself down in that area, but watching them go about their business knowing there wasn’t a future for them was unbelievable.

They took their time at Peel Thunder very seriously and won a premiership which they valued. A lot of AFL players, when they see their career potentially coming to an end, will throw the baby out with the bath water.

That was a huge part of them being identified by GWS as high-end characters.

I spoke before about his initial trepidation with regards to the GWS opportunity. During that time, he called me and let me know about the chance that was presented to him.

The year he had at Fremantle in 2016 meant that he had to be as mentally tough as possible, and he probably wasn’t sure if it was worth going through that again at another club.

I had been up north for about a week and felt completely revitalised and I let him know that a change in environment can freshen you up.

You’re perceived in a different way from coaches and players and you lose the restrictions that you may have had in the past. That was my feedback to him.

Clearly, the proof is in the pudding that he has made the right decision, and I’m a strong advocate that if they’re going to go a long way in the finals, he’ll be in their best 22 because of the character he possesses.

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Because he is a close mate of mine, the easy answer is to say that I’m not surprised that he has featured so much for GWS.

I use him as a strong example to our younger players at the Gold Coast. He has gone to an environment where he is surrounded by talented kids who were early draft picks and it’s similar here on the Gold Coast.

What separates genuine AFL players from those who might be a flash in the pan is the mental side of the game. I know his strengths and the way he harnesses those things above the shoulders — he has one of the biggest heads you’ll see anyway — so there must be plenty of footy knowledge in there and mental resilience.

I haven’t been surprised in the slightest, and if he hadn’t done a hammy in the pre-season he may have played close to every game.

GWS are the team I’ve watched the most outside of the Suns, so I’ll definitely keep an eye on his 150th game this weekend. I’m ecstatic for him that he’ll be playing finals this year.

You get jealous of others at this time of the year when finals are on the agenda. For Matty to go from thinking, ‘where am I going to work in business next year?’ 12 months ago to being where he is, you could write a book about it!

If he was able to win a premiership, I’d be very emotional and excited for him. If we went back to last year’s Grand Final, he would have been a million to one chance to be out there the next year.

I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but that’s a fairy tale.
 
Matt de Boer plays 150th game as one of Giant’s hardest working leaders


MATT de Boer knew the GWS Giants had talent, stacks of it.

But on his arrival in Sydney’s west, one thing stood out — ruthless competitiveness.

“The boys just want to win,” de Boer said this week.

“Whether it’s mixed netball, footy training or playing Uno, the boys are just super competitive. I really think that has facilitated their growth.

“The boys just come with a great attitude each day, which I think has rejuvenated my career and my belief in what’s possible.”
It’s an environment that suits de Boer to a T.

Former Fremantle teammate Michael Barlow, now a Gold Coast Sun, described de Boer as having a “ruthless nature” in an article he wrote for the AFLPA this week.

“Honestly, he is like no one I’ve ever been around at a football club — his ability to professionally challenge individuals but also maintain a personal relationship with them is incredible,” Barlow wrote.

De Boer will today play his 150th game and his transformation from unwanted Docker to reliable mainstay at the top premiership fancy has shocked many.

Full story here http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...s/news-story/ab6a28a5b3d6f463092dbc3374be5889

Grats Matt!!
 
Nov 23, 2015
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GREATER Western Sydney midfielder Matt de Boer has played his last game of AFL football, announcing his immediate retirement after 223 games across 14 years at two clubs.

De Boer, who began his career with 138 games at Fremantle including the 2013 Grand Final, moved to the Giants at the end of 2016 via the draft. It was in Sydney that he cemented his reputation as one of the game's most effective taggers, and played a key part in the powerful Giants teams that went deep into the finals, including the 2019 Grand Final loss to Richmond.

De Boer, now 32, told his teammates of his decision on Thursday. “The GIANTS organisation, and its people, is truly a special place and has had a profound impact on not only me but my wife, family and friends,” de Boer said. “My heart is unequivocally full of gratitude and love for the friendships, memories and opportunities that playing in the AFL has availed me. I’d particularly like to thank Leon Cameron for believing in me and challenging me always to be the best version of myself. I’d also like to thank the Fremantle Dockers for first recruiting me and, in particular, Mark Harvey and Ross Lyon for teaching me the abnormal effort and football IQ required to perform at the highest level.”

Giants GM of football Jason McCartney said de Boer had made a significant contribution to GWS in his six years at the club. "Matt is the ultimate clubman and epitomises everything you want in a leader," McCartney said. "He's diligent and resilient and got the most out of himself as a footballer, while contributing enormously to team standards and culture. Most AFL players never reach 200 AFL games and Matt's career is a testament to his hard work, sacrifice and relentless pursuit of excellence."


 
Nov 23, 2015
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MATT de Boer retires after 223 games with the reputation as one of the best taggers the AFL has seen over the past decade. But there are many across the two clubs that he represented with such distinction who bristle at the pigeon hole his career has been placed in. A lockdown, hard worker who got everything out of his natural ability and overcame some draft and delisting setbacks along the way. That's the de Boer narrative. But to many he played with, it's selling the 32-year-old short.

When his close friend and Greater Western Sydney skipper Stephen Coniglio found out that de Boer was doing a post-retirement chat with AFL.com.au, he made a point of reaching out to ensure that message was hammered home. "He's always just been seen as this tagger who was amazing at it, but he's always been just a very good footballer," Coniglio said. "I know that in 2017 through to 2019 that if we didn't have the gun onballers that we did, he would have held his own in those roles for sure."

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