Broncos captain Darius Boyd says he’ll quit NRL if hamstring issues continue

BRONCOS captain Darius Boyd has made the stunning admission he will retire from the NRL if he continues to be plagued by a hamstring injury.

Darius Boyd. Picture: Zak Simmonds

BRONCOS captain Darius Boyd has made the stunning admission he will retire from the NRL if he continues to be plagued by a hamstring injury.

Boyd will be the fittest he has been in six months when he leads Brisbane in the Easter Sunday derby against the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium.

The Queensland Origin star’s first season as Broncos skipper last year was crushed by a hamstring injury on the eve of the finals.

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Darius Boyd during Broncos training.

Boyd, 30, missed the World Cup and his pre-season was hampered by the recurring injury which has led Broncos medical staff to place him on a modified training program.

Boyd signed a four-year contract extension last year, believed to be worth about $700,000 annually, which will keep him at the Broncos until 2021.

And while the 270-game veteran is back near his best, Boyd said he would walk away from the NRL if his hamstrings became a lingering issue.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it,” Boyd told The Sunday Mail.

“When you get older and start having a few injuries, you start to think ‘how long have I got left and when is the end?’.

“I can’t predict the future (but) if it is (an issue) I will put my hand up and retire. I’m not going to hang around just for the sake of it.

“Whatever happens, I’m happy. I’ve had a great career and want to keep doing the best I can for as long as I can. I’ve been very grateful to do the things I’ve done.

“Hopefully there is a lot more to go but if footy finished tomorrow I’d be in a good headspace.”

Darius Boyd clutches at his leg before half time. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Boyd’s selfless declaration is proof of his club-first mentality as Broncos skipper.

With 23 Test appearances and 28 Origin matches taking his career tally to 321 top grade games, Boyd can no longer train like he did in his younger years.

Under the guidance of high performance boss Jeremy Hickmans, Boyd believes he has found the right approach to manage his potentially career-threatening problem.

Boyd, who plays the physically demanding position of fullback, only trains lightly early in the week and said he was starting to see the results of his new program.

“I’m really confident in them (hamstrings) right now,” he said.

“I was a bit worried at the start of the season after having some niggles in the pre-season. I’m getting older and in a position where I run a lot.

“In the first game (against St George-Illawarra) I was really tentative. Against the Cowboys I was still thinking about it but I improved with my running.

“I felt like I was almost back to normal with my headspace and running against the Tigers (last week).”

Darius Boyd of the Broncos sits on the bench with ice strapped to his left leg.

Boyd will tackle the Titans, thumped 54-8 by the Dragons last Sunday, knowing he could have easily been playing for them.

A Gold Coast product, Boyd was keen to return home from St George-Illawarra in 2012, however ultimately followed his only NRL coach Wayne Bennett to Newcastle and later Brisbane.

“I was pretty close to going there because I was keen to get home and didn’t think I’d have the opportunity to come back to Brisbane,” he said.

“I was quite close to be honest. I was pretty keen. At the end of the day I made the decision not to go because I was only going there to go home.

“If I wanted to better myself as a person and player I thought that would be best under Wayne, not just to go home and be comfortable.

“They will be tough. The local derby is always hard.

“I hope the boys are ready because we won’t be expecting any favours from them. They will be hard to beat.”

Originally published as Broncos captain Darius Boyd says he’ll quit NRL if hamstring issues continue