Wayne Bennett sinks boot into Anthony Seibold over Darius Boyd treatment
Wayne Bennett’s sustained attack on Anthony Seibold doesn’t look like slowing down, taking aim at the former Broncos coach over the treatment of one of his greatest success stories, Darius Boyd.
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Wayne Bennett has lauded Darius Boyd as one of his greatest success stories and slammed Anthony Seibold’s decision to sack the Broncos legend as captain.
Boyd will make his 337th and final NRL appearance in Thursday’s Suncorp Stadium derby against the North Queensland Cowboys.
He will play his last NRL game in his favoured fullback position, but will not skipper the Broncos after being stripped of the duties following last year’s 58-0 finals blowout to Parramatta.
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Bennett handed Boyd the Broncos’ captaincy in 2017 and he spent three years in the role before Seibold decided to remove him from the post in favour of Alex Glenn.
Bennett, who coached Boyd in 13 of his 15 NRL seasons, said it was a ridiculous decision by Seibold, who was sacked last month as Brisbane headed for its first wooden spoon in 32 years.
“He should never have sacked him as Broncos captain, never,” said Bennett, now South Sydney’s coach.
“You only have to watch the players now. When the shit hits the fan, who do they go to? Darius. Who’s the number one spokesman in the club? Darius.
“He is a leader of men and he has conducted himself with absolute class in what has been a very difficult season.
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“He is the de facto captain still, believe me. He is the one the players still run to. He is the one they want to talk to because he has been in those places himself.
“I made him captain because he needed more responsibility. The older players get to a stage where they need something else and I saw his personal development.
“Every high and low you can have in life, Darius has had it. He was strong enough to tell the world he was putting himself in a rehab centre (in 2014) and needed treatment.
“One thing you want from a captain is empathy and the ability to care about their teammates. It’s not all about the football, it’s about our lives away from football, about our lives with each other, we spend so much time with each other.
“Darius was always well liked by the playing group. While he has fought his own demons, he never had a respect problem with his peers. They have always respected his achievements and his attitude. I felt he had the basics to be a good captain.”
If the Broncos lose on Thursday, the class of 2020 will finish with three wins in 20 games and collect the first wooden spoon in Brisbane’s illustrious history.
That would be a disappointing result for Boyd, a two-time NRL premiership winner with the Broncos (2006) and Dragons (2010) who also played 28 Origins for Queensland and a record 23 unbeaten Tests for the Kangaroos.
Boyd, 33, is the last player remaining from Brisbane’s most recent title triumph in 2006, which was his first season in the NRL.
Boyd, who has never met his father, overcame a challenging childhood and mental health struggles to become the ninth most-capped player in league history.
And he credits a lot of his success to the impact of Bennett, who he followed to St George Illawarra (2009-11) and Newcastle (2012-14) before reuniting with at Brisbane in 2015.
“I wouldn’t have done anything without Wayne,” said Boyd, who played 292 games under Bennett.
“I’m very appreciative and grateful to Wayne. I think he knows that but it’s always nice to say it.
“My school coach from Palm Beach, Rod Patison, was a huge help to me before Wayne. He is a similar type of character to Wayne.
“He really helped me in school and my first few years with contracts and getting me to Brisbane and keeping in contact with all of these years. He was massive for me.
“I’ve come across so many people at all the clubs I’ve been to, I’m very grateful to the staff and coaches and anyone who has had first-hand experience dealing with me. All of my teammates too.”
Bennett has coached hundreds of players over 40 years in the game but has shared a special bond with Boyd.
They spent 13 consecutive years together before Bennett was sacked by the Broncos in late 2018 and Seibold took over at Red Hill.
“Darius is just unsung. He never sought publicity. He never played the game for stardom. He played because he loved it,” Bennett said.
“I took a shine to him because I saw a lot of good qualities in him as a person. I knew about his family situation and I realised I had an athlete on my hands and a guy who could play football.
“Darius struggled to be happy. That was his background. That was his upbringing. There were a lot of issues for him and I am so proud of how he has managed it.
“He was so meticulous, such a perfectionist. Part of the difficulty of his own mental health was that he had to be perfect in his life and if things weren’t perfect, it was difficult for him to handle.
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“The eye teaches you the special ones. He will always be one of the great players I have coached in my mind. Nothing will ever change my mind.”
Boyd has never been the biggest, strongest or fastest player on the field.
But few have played fullback as well as he has, as evidenced by his 2010 Clive Churchill Medal and the fact he once kept the legendary Billy Slater out of Queensland’s No.1 jersey.
Bennett said Boyd’s success was the result of an unrivalled work ethic.
“I will never forget a pre-season we did when Darius first arrived,” Bennett said.
“It was that hard that guys like (Shane) Webcke, (Brad) Thorn and Petero (Civoniceva) were crying about it, but Darius came straight from school to the Broncos and he was right up there with the rest of them. He never complained.
“He is still competitive, still trying to do his best. He is among the best trainers I have ever seen. I have never, ever, ever had to speak to him about his training ethic.
“He saw the preparation from Darren Lockyer and he learnt from him. Locky was at the height of his fame when Darius arrived at the Broncos and he was smart enough to model himself on Darren’s work ethic.
“He was a player the Broncos should never have lost because of what he brought on and off the field.
“Darius had a lot of dark periods in his life where he struggled with his demons, but he never missed a training session. It didn’t matter where we were, Darius was always an outstanding trainer.
“In 2010, he was as dominant as James Tedesco is today. I still picture some of the tries he set up, he was at the peak of his powers and absolutely outstanding.
“If I had 20 years all over again, I would take him to any club with me. Darius Boyd is a truly great player.”