Boyd puts NZ trip over Origin

Broncos fullback Darius Boyd, snubbed the chance to play for Queensland in tonight’s State of Origin game, because he wanted to go on holiday to New Zealand.

Veteran Billy Slater has been ruled out of Origin I with a hamstring injury and Kalyn Ponga and Anthony Milford have both flown to Melbourne to train with the squad. But Queensland coach Kevin Walters’ first choice would have been Boyd and as there was a concern over Slater’s hamstring for the past week, he wanted Boyd to be part of a shadow squad, containing around half a dozen players.

However, Boyd snubbed Walters’ approach and went on holiday to Queenstown instead.

‘‘He was asked to go into camp this week as part of a shadow squad. There were five or six players that went in, Darius Boyd was asked to be one of those players,’’ Courier Mail rugby league reporter Peter Badel said on Fox League’s NRL Tonight.

‘‘He said, ‘I’m not going to sit around for five days, I’ve got a holiday booked to Queenstown in New Zealand,’ so off he went with his wife to New Zealand.’’

Boyd is back in Brisbane and training with the Broncos, but it appears his decision to go to New Zealand may have ended his Origin career.

However, former New South Wales hooker Michael Ennis has backed Boyd’s call to brush the Maroons and enjoy a family vacation.

While Queensland has prided itself on a ‘‘team first’’ mantra that has inspired 11 series win in 12 years, Ennis believed Boyd had done nothing wrong by thinking of his own welfare.

‘‘He’s played 28 Origins, he’s in the rigours of an NRL season. He wants to mentally refresh after missing out [on Maroons selection],’’ Ennis told Fox Sports’ Big League Wrap.

Ennis had no problem with the Brisbane veteran taking a mid-season refresher after battling to reclaim his best following an ongoing hamstring complaint.