NRL 2021: Gold Coast Titans position switch opens door for Cameron Smith

Tanah Boyd is the little-known 20-year-old Titans utility who could hold the key to the bringing Cameron Smith to the club for 2021.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Cameron Smith of the Storm poses with the Premiership trophy after winning the 2020 NRL Grand Final match between the Penrith Panthers and the Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Tanah Boyd is the little-known 20-year-old Titans utility who could hold the key to completing the Gold Coast’s roster puzzle for 2021.

The NRL club’s dearth of talent at hooker in 2020 forced the lightweight playmaker into a foreign role as an interchange dummy-half, after signing with the club as a national title-winning halfback at Keebra Park in 2017.

Boyd earned the respect of coaches for the spark he brought to the team but was always a square peg adapting into a round hole.

His hooker experiment now appears to have passed its used-by date, with the young halfback returning to his natural position to understudy presumptive Titans skipper Jamal Fogarty during the pre-season.

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A move to halfback for Tanah Boyd would mean there is room for another hooker … like Cameron Smith. Picture: Supplied.

“Last year was just that we needed someone in that spot to come on and bring that energy,” Boyd said.

“That was kind of last year. I’m just training at half at the moment. I love playing half and I’ll keep working at that.

”We’ll see how I go and if I play that No.14 role again I’ll do it. That’s up to Justin (Holbrook).”

Boyd’s departure from the club’s hooker equation has created a vacancy for an experienced rake to complete the Titans’ top 30 squad.

The Titans have signed 29 players to their NRL contingent for next season but only two specialist hookers, Mitch Rein and Erin Clark, are among that number.

A team source confirmed the club had the flexibility to restructure their salary cap if it meant finding a place for Cameron Smith.

Cameron Smith is currently a free agent after his contract with Melbourne Storm expired. Picture: Getty Images.

The Storm skipper is an NRL free agent after relocating to the Gold Coast and is still yet to confirm his intentions for 2021.

Coach Holbrook confirmed the Titans were also “looking into” signing fellow Storm hooker Brandon Smith, after the Kiwi international secured a release from his contract from 2022.

“It’s all up in the air at the moment,” Boyd said of the hooker position, and the possibility of a new recruit joining the group.

“We’ve got an experienced hooker in Mitch Rein, he’s been playing for a long time now.

“But yeah, if someone comes in they come in. I’m just focusing on playing half.”

Boyd’s position shift could have a further ripple effect through the Titans roster.

With reigning State of Origin champion lock Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Herman Ese’ese pressing their claims for the No.13 jersey, incumbent Tyrone Peachey appears set to return to the interchange bench as a utility, potentially freeing Boyd to continue his development as the club’s second-choice halfback.

Boyd said his taste of life in the firing line in midfield had been beneficial to his development as a player.

Tanah Boyd was forced into a dummy-half bench role in 2020, with the club short on options at hooker. Picture: Getty Images.

“The experience has given me confidence,” Boyd said.

“It was pretty hard at first, being in the middle where they’re just coming at you constantly, and the back-to-back efforts were pretty tough to get used to.

“The hardest thing was going from defence to attack straight away.

“Towards the end I started to get more comfortable and it was all right. I used it as a learning experience.

“I understand the game more now because I know what the forwards are going through and how hard they’re working.”

The kilograms of muscle Boyd has packed on over the off-season have brought him closer to the generous 86kg mark he was listed in the matchday programs.

Adding power and speed are important by-products of his physical development but Boyd’s key target is developing his game management skill.

He has found a fine mentor for that in Fogarty.

“I love working with Jamal,” Boyd said.

“He’s the ultimate professional and I get along real good with him.

“He’s always talking to me and encouraging me to be a leader, and sharing how he sees the game and thinks about the game.

“He’s awesome at that.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Gold Coast Titans position switch opens door for Cameron Smith