Broncos need Darius Boyd back to stay in NRL finals race

DARIUS Boyd is “touch-and-go” but the Broncos’ loss to the Roosters showed just how much they need their skipper back to keep their NRL finals charge alive.

Broncos players watch on after a Roosters try at Allianz Stadium.

SENDING out an SOS to Darius Boyd — the Broncos need you back.

Brisbane declared this week that they could win their week one finals showdown against the Sydney Roosters without their star No. 1 in the side.

And while they gave their fans a glimmer of hope, only losing the match in the final five minutes, it simply could not be done.

It was clear from the outset just how much they needed their skipper.

Boyd admitted ahead of the match that he could be “touch-and-go” to play in a week two knockout final against either the Panthers or Sea Eagles.

But the Broncos will need him if they are any hope of staying in the competition beyond next weekend.

Darius Boyd watches on from the stands.

He also said this week that he can be bossy when he is out on the field but this is obviously not a bad thing for Brisbane.

It was clear his direction was sorely missed in the loss to the Roosters.

Wayne Bennett opted to start with David Mead at fullback, before replacing him with Kodi Nikorima 20 minutes into the game, after the Roosters scored two tries.

While neither Mead nor Nikorima can be singled out for any bad reads in defence — missing just one tackle between them — it was clear that Brisbane needed Boyd’s calm head and “bossiness”.

Broncos players watch on after a Roosters try at Allianz Stadium.

Without him calling the shots, the Broncos not only missed a total of 39 tackles but also struggled to find their spark in attack early on.

Nikorima did step up to deliver in the 49th minute, throwing a cut-out pass to Corey Oates who scored in the corner, but the team as a whole did not capitalise on that momentum.

The Broncos did improve in the second half to give the Roosters a good scare.

But it was too little, too late.

Had Boyd been there, it could have been an entirely different story for the Broncos.