The recently-turned 20-year-old, who was selected at pick 15 in the 2012 Rookie Draft, went on to be named in the NEAFL Eastern Conference Team of the Year, alongside Shane Biggs and Dan Robinson, for his role in the reserves midfield throughout the season.
Lloyd, who also polled more votes than any other Swan in this year’s Mulrooney Medal count, told sydneyswans.com.au that he was ready to work even harder in 2014.
How did you enjoy your first year at the club?
I really enjoyed it and it was great to get the opportunity at the end of last year. I’d like to think that I’ve grabbed it with both hands and hopefully I can re-sign and come back next year.
What are some of the things you learnt this year?
I’ve learnt a lot just being around the senior guys week in, week out, training every day and just the standards and what it takes to be an AFL footballer. I’ve learnt a lot off Kieren Jack and guys like Dan Hannebery and Jarrad McVeigh, so they’ve been really good role models.
What have been your highlights in 2013?
There hasn’t been a hell of a lot but I’d like to think that I’ve had a pretty consistent season. It was great to get named in the NEAFL Team of the Year at the end of the year, so that’s probably one of my better highlights.
What were some of the messages from the coaches at the end of the year?
They want me to keep improving my strengths, which are my running and my kicking and stuff like that, so to just keep working on them and getting them the best they can be. They just want everyone to come back pretty fit so they were all pretty positive about it and they just want us all to work hard over the off-season.
Is there a particular player that you’ve followed closely this year?
Dan Hannebery probably. He plays a similar position to me so I go through my edits and tapes with him and really sit down and focus on the areas I need to keep working on to try and get a crack at AFL football.
What are your plans for the off-season?
I’ll head back home soon and just take it easy and try to forget about football for a few weeks and then start working on my pre-season program and come back fit.
