'Wanting to test myself': Hampden league club adds firepower to attack

The 26-year-old tall, who recently returned home to Warrnambool after two years in WA, booted 52 goals as his Mosman Park outfit won the 2023 Perth Football League C2 flag.

The forward/ruck brings valuable firepower to a Saints outfit still trying to fill the void left by star goal-kicker Sam Dobson, who departed after the 2022 season.

Boyd previously played senior football with Warrnambool and District league clubs Merrivale and Panmure and also played some of his juniors with Koroit.

He said connections with personnel at the Saints drew him back to Victoria Park as well as "wanting to test myself at Hampden league after having two good seasons away in Perth".

He said he was thrilled to join the powerhouse club which before this year's fifth-placed finish had won the past seven Hampden league flags.

"(Koroit has) definitely got an awesome reputation so I'm already learning a lot," he told The Standard.

"The training standard's awesome and the amount of work they put into their craft and things like that and identifying where they want to improve and where they want you to improve is really important."

Boyd is keeping his focus simple for the season ahead, hoping to play consistent, regular senior football while hitting the scoreboard.

He has been impressed with what he's seen over pre-season.

"(It's an) awesome vibe," he said.

"Probably a younger crew there now. It seems like the next generation are coming through at the moment.

"Certainly the standards are high, fitness levels are good. We're doing extra sessions as well to maintain those fitness levels."

The Victorian, whose fiance Bridget McElgunn also has ties to Koroit, reflects fondly on his stint in the west.

"I loved it," he said.

"Spent two years over there but it was just time to move home and start building a house."

Boyd joins Angus Campbell, Tyler Stephens, Blair McCutcheon (all Merrivale) and Jack Noonan (Dennington) as Koroit's recruits so far.