Boyd cannot be serious about being happy with form

Darius Boyd is reckons there’s not a whole lot to worry about when it comes to his form, but in reality, the Broncos skipper is going like a busted, writes GREG DAVIS.

Darius Boyd

Darius Boyd is kidding himself when he says he is “pretty happy” with his form at the moment.

How could he be? Seriously? That’s just delusional mumbo jumbo.

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The bottom line is that the Broncos captain is going like a busted.

Darius Boyd speaking to media ahead of Magic Round this weekend.

He’s lost a few yards of pace which means he cannot get to where he needs to be often enough, those crisp pinpoint passes to his outside men aren’t hitting their mark and turnstiles would be making a greater impact in defence.

At the peak of his considerable powers, he was one of the very best rugby league players in the world. A superstar, a bona fide champion, the elite of the elite.

He was a rolled gold performer in grand finals, Origins and Test matches.

But for a large chunk of this season, Boyd has been a shadow of the player he once was.

At times, he appears disinterested, lacklustre and listless. Like he is just going through the motions.

He was once one of the best fullbacks in the world. It could be argued that he may not be the best fullback at Brisbane right now.

Rabbitohs star Dane Gagai has Darius Boyd covered in Souths’ romp over Brisbane last Thursday night.

Brisbane’s pack is young and the halves haven’t hit their straps but the captain’s football powers falling over the edge of a cliff is the biggest issue confronting the Broncos.

Boyd may have every intention of seeing out the rich deal at Brisbane but his form and body language suggest that 2019 should be his last year.

He looks cooked.

There’s no shame in that at all. Every top level football star goes into decline eventually.

Boyd’s decline is amplified by the fact that his team is playing poorly and that he plays in a position where there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

But he should be losing some sleep over how he and the Broncos are going.

And his coach cannot be serious when he tells Boyd that he is also happy with how the fullback and skipper is performing.

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold and Darius Boyd at Brisbane training.

Living in a bubble is not doing anybody any favours. And don’t quote stats at me. Blind Freddy could see that Boyd is struggling.

The critics have been circling all season but it is not like they are making things up about the brand of football being played by Brisbane.

They are calling it like they are seeing it. Boyd and Co should try it some time.

If he and the Broncos play well on Friday night and beat Manly (it’s a big if too), it doesn’t mean the critics were incorrect. Not at all.

It just means Boyd and Broncos have just happened to play well and have conjured a Magic Round win to move to a win-loss record of 3-6.

Or they could lose and be 2-7 and be further away from a top eight berth.

But hey, Boyd and the Broncos are going just fine.

Just ask them.

Originally published as Boyd cannot be serious about being happy with form