boyd's right shoulder was a constant problem for him throughout the 2016 season after he first aggravated it in the club's round four game against carlton. the injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the first half of the season, after which he returned with the bulldogs' vfl side, footscray. he was in line to receive a recall to the afl side for round 15, but a drunken, "violent" altercation with teammate zaine cordy set him back. he was suspended indefinitely by the club on 30 june 2016 and fined $5,000. boyd responded with a four-goal haul in footscray's 12-point loss to coburg on july 2. he returned to the afl side in round 17 and remained there for the rest of the year. he showed promise when he kicked three goals in the bulldogs' loss to geelong in round 19. he went on to help the bulldogs reach their first vfl/afl grand final since 1961. in the 2016 grand final, boyd completed a coming-of-age finals series with his aerial work highly influential, finishing the match with eight marks (six contested) and three goals. his third goal late in the fourth quarter from the centre square sealed the win for the bulldogs, as they defeated the sydney swans by 22 points to become the first team to win a premiership from seventh on the ladder.