Broncos leadership vacuum could see Darius Boyd retain captaincy

Corey Oates believes Darius Boyd is the best man to lead Brisbane back from the most humiliating loss in the club’s history - they may have no other alternative.

Corey Oates has backed Darius Boyd to retain the captaincy. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

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Darius Boyd is still the best man to captain the Broncos.

That is the view of Broncos winger Corey Oates as the battle to lead Brisbane back from the most humiliating loss in club history ramps up.

A host of big-name Broncos players are set to report for pre-season training over the next fortnight following Brisbane’s week one finals exit.

The club’s younger players have already hit the paddock and coach Anthony Seibold is due back from his American fact-finding mission in the coming days.

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Corey Oates has backed Darius Boyd to retain the captaincy. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

Boyd’s captaincy has come under fire following Brisbane’s 58-0 finals thrashing, the biggest loss in the Broncos’ 31-year history.

Seibold has refused to clarify whether he has already stripped Boyd of the captaincy while veteran forward Alex Glenn has been mooted as a potential new skipper.

But the Broncos are short on genuine leadership options, particularly following the recent retirement of Matt Gillett, and Oates believes Boyd is still the best candidate to lead the club in 2020.

“I don’t think you can just blame one bloke for the season we had,” Oates said when asked if Boyd was still the man to captain the Broncos.

“He has got the ‘c’ next to his name and takes all that other pressure but it is a team sport and you have to play as a team.

“You can’t blame Darius for how we played. He is the one that does all the stuff off the field and cops all the blows.

“As a team we have got to play better. I still think he is a great captain.

“I don’t see any reason why (Boyd shouldn’t be captain). He is still our best captain. I think he handles the press pretty well. He has a lot to prove this coming year.

“(Glenn) is another leader. He is the bloke all the younger back-rowers look up to and go to for advice.

“We have got plenty of leaders in our team. It is about who can handle the ‘c’ next to their name the best and I still believe Darius is our best one.”

Alex Glenn is one of the most experienced players at the club. Picture: Matt King/Getty

Boyd, 32, has captained the Broncos since 2017 when he was appointed skipper by former coach Wayne Bennett.

The ex-Maroons and Kangaroos representative has played 317 NRL games, including 186 for the Broncos, and is the only remaining player from Brisbane’s last premiership triumph in 2006.

But Boyd faced a barrage of criticism for his form in 2019 and next year could be his final season in the NRL, unless he chooses to activate an option to remain at the Broncos in 2021.

Seibold could adopt a co-captaincy model and if that is the case, Oates believes the Broncos’ highest-paid player, Anthony Milford, should come into the mix.

“I think Milf is a great candidate and if they were to take it off (Boyd) then he would be a great one to have the ‘c’ next to his name,” Oates said.

Oates also believes Anthony Milford has the right on-field credentials to lead the club. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

“Off the field you have got to take all the hits. On the field there are a lot of leaders and he is the bloke that oversees everything.

“(Off field) would be the biggest challenge for Milf but I think he has grown a lot lately and handles himself a lot better off the field with all the media commitments.

“Having that ‘c’ next to your name puts a bit of pressure on you and makes you more accountable and (as captain) he could flick a switch and change a lot of stuff because he has to.

“It sort of makes you want to get better because you have to talk a lot more when you are captain.”