Fragile left edge defence responsible for Darius Boyd’s shock switch to centre
WAYNE Bennett will take a backline gamble in Friday night’s showdown with the Panthers, as Broncos skipper Darius Boyd admits time is running out to clinch his third premiership.
Broncos
Don't miss out on the headlines from Broncos. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WAYNE Bennett will take a backline gamble in Friday night’s showdown with the Panthers, as Broncos skipper Darius Boyd admits time is running out to clinch his third premiership.
In a bold reshuffle, Boyd will shift to left centre on Friday night, while Jamayne Isaako will play at fullback and Jordan Kahu will move to right wing.
While speculation has been rife this year that Boyd is still struggling with a hamstring issue, Bennett was quick to reveal on Thursday the changes had been made because of concerns with Brisbane’s left-side defence.
BLINDSIDE: Broncos chasing Roosters young gun
BIRD CLONE: Titans lock in key piece of rebuilding puzzle
HUGE DEAL: Broncos had no choice with monster Haas deal
The positional changes also come at a crucial time for Brisbane after they slipped back into eighth spot on the ladder following their shock 26-6 loss to the Warriors on Sunday.
The Broncos not only need to secure a place in the top eight, but have to prove they are genuine title contenders, something that has not escaped the attention of Boyd.
The 31-year-old has won two premierships in his career, one with the Broncos in 2006 and another with the Dragons in 2010.
Having signed a four-year deal until 2021, Boyd knows time is running out for him to clinch a third premiership, but believes the Broncos have the team to claim the title in 2018.
“Every year that goes by is another year lost,” Boyd said.
“This club means the world to me. It’s the club I’ve followed since I was a little boy.
“It’s a good opportunity (to claim a premiership) with a great young squad here. There is the team to do it … this side is definitely capable.
“We just need to really get our game together properly. We haven’t played a full 80 minutes this year. We need to do that every week to be a real force.
“We need to worry about ourselves and play to our potential. I don’t think we’ve done that yet.”
Boyd’s move to left centre will be part of Brisbane’s campaign for this year’s finals.
Bennett said he had noticed a problem with his left-side defence in recent weeks and had decided to move Boyd because of his experience.
Boyd has played at centre 21 times in his NRL career and once at State of Origin level.
“I just thought we could tighten up our positioning in the centres a little bit, move Jordan back to the wing,” Bennett said on Thursday.
“That was the main reason. This is not permanent. We’ll see how it works for us.
“(It’s) our defence and the way we were defending on that side of the field.
“I realised I had to do something about it otherwise it wasn’t going to get any better, so I made the decision to put Darius in the centres.
“That was his original position as a kid growing up. That’s where he played all his football. I’ve played him there before on the odd occasion. He’s really good. He handles it great.”
Tevita Pangai Jr (hamstring), Joe Ofahengaue (knee) and James Roberts (achilles) were all cleared to play.
Watch every game of every round of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership on FOX SPORTS. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as Fragile left edge defence responsible for Darius Boyd’s shock switch to centre