GIANTS forward Daniel Lloyd and ruckman Matthew Flynn have put pen to paper on contract extensions.
New South Wales product Lloyd has inked a new one-year extension that will see him remain a GIANT until the end of the 2020 season.
Five years ago, Lloyd was plying his trade as a carpenter while playing in the Black Diamond League for Killarney Vale when he was spotted by GIANTS assistant coach Mark McVeigh.
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Since being selected with pick 26 of the 2016 Rookie draft, Lloyd has played 30 games for the GIANTS, including all nine games so far in 2019.
“I guess if you had have told me at the start that I’d still be here now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Lloyd said.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey not just for me but my family as well.
“I’m super excited for what’s to come and I’m proud of where I am now, but I’m looking forward to taking more strides in my career.”
Lloyd’s said the club’s emphasis on being family orientated has made his time at the club enjoyable.
“It’s awesome it’s made the last five years fly through smoothly and seamlessly,” he said.
“It’s good to have - at times - my kids running around here while I’m training, and my wife is working here, and I get to see her during the day.
“They just opened their arms to me and my family and that’s made us feel really welcome from the start and they’ve continued to do so.”
Emerging ruckman Flynn has also signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain at the club until at least the end of the 2021 season.
The Narrandera product was selected by the GIANTS with pick 41 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft, and while Flynn is yet to make his AFL debut, the 200cm GIANT has been a consistent contributor in the NEAFL side as he continues his development.
Flynn said he’s excited to extend his time at the club he has been a part of since he was 12-years-old.
“Playing here for the last four years has been awesome and we’ve got a good group of guys coming through and everyone’s starting to gel really well,” he said.
“I’ve been in the Academy since under-12s, its first year, so it’s awesome to have done that and still be a part of the club… it definitely feels like home.”
Flynn has been working closely with rucks Shane Mumford and Dawson Simpson and has been soaking up their experience as he pushes for a debut in 2019.
“Shane coming back this year has been huge for me,” Flynn said.
“He’s taught me a lot over the last three to four years, especially last year as coach.
“He’s someone I aspire to be like, I really look up to him and Dawson Simpson as well.”
Lloyd and Flynn – who played together in the GIANTS’ 2016 NEAFL Premiership – add to the growing list of key contract extensions the GIANTS have secured this year including Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Nick Haynes, Adam Kennedy, Harry Himmelberg, Brent Daniels and Matt de Boer.
