BOYD BACKING BRONCOS

Skipper says club can recover after record defeat

BESIEGED Broncos captain Darius Boyd says he will not be pressured into retirement and has assured Brisbane fans the club is not in crisis as the skipper pledged to lead a recovery mission next season.

As the fallout continues from Brisbane’s 58-0 finals collapse to Parramatta – the worst loss in the club’s history – Boyd opened up about his future and how the Broncos restore credibility in 2020.

He has been buffeted by incessant calls for him to retire STORM STAR: Suliasi Vunivalu. this year, but the 32-year-old has hit back at his critics, insisting he hasn’t played his last game for the Broncos.

“I’m definitely playing on next year,” he said. “I need to get bettermyself. I had a change of positions (from fullback to five-eighth this year), so I think another pre-season there (at pivot) can help.”

Broncos great Darren Lockyer recently suggested Boyd could benefit from finishing his career in the centres.

Boyd, who turns 33 next July, is open to another positional move, but says he has embraced the nuances of five-eighth play and believes his NRL experience can complement 18-yearold halfback Tom Dearden, who returns next year from an ankle injury.

Asked if he would consider moving to centre, Boyd said: “I’ll talk about that next year, but I’ve always been a team guy and I will play wherever.

“Whatever happens next year, I’m ready to go.”

Coach Anthony Seibold now has the worst defeat in Brisbane’s 31-year history on his resume.

His five-year contract with Brisbane expires at the end of 2023, but Seibold will be fighting for his job if the Broncos suffer another capitulation next season, but Boyd believes Seibold is the right man to find solutions.

“Seibs has a long-term job here so he has time to work with this group and help them learn from their mistakes and things we can improve on,” Boyd said.

“I don’t think he has to turn things around. We made the finals. Eight other teams would have wanted to be in our position. We had a lot of change this year. Seibs has been great on and off the field. He cares about the players and has some great tactics and strategies on the field.”

Boyd does not believe the Broncos have a cultural problem, but he concedes the playing group lacks resilience and must get mentally tougher.

The Broncos lost five of six games on Sydney soil this season, leaking 222 points at a shocking average of 37 points a game.

“I don’t think there’s an issue with the club, it’s just attention to detail in key areas,” Boyd said.

“It was embarrassing to lose like that. It wasn’t acceptable and we have to learn from our mistakes and realise what went wrong.”