On eve of NRL finals, Broncos captain Darius Boyd offers support to Dragons halfback Ben Hunt and hits out at negative critics
BEN Hunt is paid a huge amount by St George Illawarra to play football — but that doesn’t make him immune to criticism. And Darius Boyd wants NRL fans to know their words can have an effect.
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BEN Hunt is St George Illawarra’s $6 million man. But we should not forget he is also human.
That’s the heartfelt message from Darius Boyd on the eve of this year’s finals series to everyone involved in commenting on the game, from journalists to ex-players and even fans.
As the Brisbane captain opened up about his own battle with mental health problems, Boyd also warned other players are in danger because criticism can be a trigger.
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“100 per cent,” Boyd said. “I mean, I struggled with it years ago.
“It got to the point where it wasn’t just that but (criticism) was definitely a big part.
“You have to have good people around you and good support people, because there is some challenges in life.
“And it is not just rugby league. It is in all facets of life.”
Boyd is one of Hunt’s former teammates at the Broncos and remains “a good mate”.
But even though they are playing against each other in Sunday’s elimination final, that didn’t stop Boyd speaking up in defence of the struggling playmaker at Monday’s finals launch.
Asked if he had reached out to Hunt, Boyd explained: “I thought about it and I wasn’t sure if I should or shouldn’t.
“I suppose the reason I didn’t is because I just thought I know what I am like when I am going through a tough time.
“You get a barrage of text messages and people bringing things up that you probably don’t want to read and listen to. So I didn’t want to do that.
“I still talk to him on WhatsAap but I didn’t talk to him about (his form). I just talk to him normally because he is a good fella. He is a good mate.
“But, more importantly, we are all human beings. We play rugby league for the love and the fun of it.
“Yes, it is a business. Yes, there is criticism. And it should be constructive. It doesn’t matter what you get paid and what you do for a job.
“There is no reason for everyone to be negative and pulling people down and putting their own negatives onto other people.
“It is just not warranted in my opinion.”
Boyd said he often visits schools to talk about mental health and kids “bring up Ben Hunt”.
Boyd wants everyone to be mindful of how hurtful criticism can be.
Boyd also spoke in defence of his young Brisbane halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima, saying just because they are on lucrative contracts shouldn’t mean they are expected to play like Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk every week.
“With the way the game is going, these young kids are probably getting paid more and more than they ever were,” Boyd explained.
“And everyone expects if you are on this money you have got to do this and do that.
“Like you said before, Anthony Milford is 23. But he is earning a good pay packet and he has been around for four or five years so he has to be doing this and he has to be playing like JT.
“If he is getting paid the same he has to play the same. Otherwise he is going to get criticised.
“Well, he is not JT at the moment. He might be in the future. But if they are not performing to JT and Cooper Cronk standard then they are criticised.
“You do the best you can each and every week.
“No one goes out to fail. No one goes out there to let people down. No one goes out there to let the fans down.”
Boyd’s past battles with mental health have been well documented.
But since attending a rehabilitation clinic while playing at Newcastle, he has returned to become one of the real inspirational role models in the game.
Asked what gave him strength to make it through, he added: “My wife, a mental health clinic, there is a lot of things. Constant working on myself.
“It has been a challenge but I am very happy for what I have been able to achieve the last four years off the field more so.
“It is something that is not easy and it is still not easy. I lost a lot of love for the game this year.
“Not so much the game itself but just the negativity that comes with it. Whether social media is a big part of that I am not too sure, and I don’t even have social media. But there is just a lot of negativity in the game.
“I love rugby league. I am a fan. I play the game but I am a fan as well.
“But sometimes the negativity and the drama and all the scrutiny that comes with it is just disappointing.”
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