Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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DARIUS Boyd has revealed he expected Billy Slater to be named Queensland’s fullback and admits he is not immune to being axed if he fails to perform in Origin I.
Boyd described his pride and relief at staving off Slater for the Queensland No. 1 jumper in a bombshell Maroons hierarchy described as their toughest selection call in almost 20 years.
Slater was so gutted by the decision he did not respond to a text message of support from Queensland skipper Cameron Smith, who urged his Storm teammate not to give up hope of an Origin recall.
The reality is that if Boyd stays fit and firing, Slater’s glittering 27-game Origin career is over, but the Broncos skipper concedes he was bracing himself for a return to Queensland’s left wing.
“I thought they would have picked Billy (at fullback) to be honest,” Boyd said.
“There was a lot of talk about Billy’s form and I wasn’t sure how Queensland would go with the other positions.
“Billy has been playing really good football and he’s a legend of the game, he’s played so many games for Queensland and done them proud.
“I thought it was more of a certainty (that Slater would be Queensland’s fullback) but I’m happy they picked me as the No. 1 and I want to do the job.
“Fullback is my preferred position, so I really want to do Queensland and the selectors proud and make sure that they’ve made the right choice.”
No-one holds Slater in higher esteem than Smith. The pair have played more than 200 senior games together at club, Origin and Test level, but Smith says the Maroons could not ignore Boyd’s heroics as Queensland’s player of the series last year.
“It was definitely a hard decision,” Smith said. “I don’t think Billy could have done much more to put his case forward for this match but given our policy over the years, particularly since I’ve been playing, we had to stay loyal.
“Darius has been given the opportunity to back up what he did last year, he was our player of the series, and he’s been rewarded with the chance to pull on the No. 1 jersey.
“There’s no doubt he will be very disappointed he has missed out. He dearly loves playing in the Maroon jersey, you have seen that in 27 matches he has played, but at the same time he is a professional and he has spoken to Kev, he just wants what is best for Queensland.
“Billy will go back and work extremely hard to put his case forward for game two and that’s all he can do.”
Boyd, who plays his 27th Origin match next Wednesday night, knows Slater will keep him honest.
“I’m never safe,” he said.
“If I play a bad game for Queensland this week, I won’t be playing the next game that’s for sure.
“That’s the beauty of the job but also the tough part, you can play well and loyalty is a key thing in the Queensland circle. But you also have to do your job because there are plenty of guys knocking down the door to take your spot.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...i/news-story/1db47b8ff16cc73834b2687e80a3063b
Boyd described his pride and relief at staving off Slater for the Queensland No. 1 jumper in a bombshell Maroons hierarchy described as their toughest selection call in almost 20 years.
Slater was so gutted by the decision he did not respond to a text message of support from Queensland skipper Cameron Smith, who urged his Storm teammate not to give up hope of an Origin recall.
The reality is that if Boyd stays fit and firing, Slater’s glittering 27-game Origin career is over, but the Broncos skipper concedes he was bracing himself for a return to Queensland’s left wing.
“I thought they would have picked Billy (at fullback) to be honest,” Boyd said.
“There was a lot of talk about Billy’s form and I wasn’t sure how Queensland would go with the other positions.
“Billy has been playing really good football and he’s a legend of the game, he’s played so many games for Queensland and done them proud.
“I thought it was more of a certainty (that Slater would be Queensland’s fullback) but I’m happy they picked me as the No. 1 and I want to do the job.
“Fullback is my preferred position, so I really want to do Queensland and the selectors proud and make sure that they’ve made the right choice.”
No-one holds Slater in higher esteem than Smith. The pair have played more than 200 senior games together at club, Origin and Test level, but Smith says the Maroons could not ignore Boyd’s heroics as Queensland’s player of the series last year.
“It was definitely a hard decision,” Smith said. “I don’t think Billy could have done much more to put his case forward for this match but given our policy over the years, particularly since I’ve been playing, we had to stay loyal.
“Darius has been given the opportunity to back up what he did last year, he was our player of the series, and he’s been rewarded with the chance to pull on the No. 1 jersey.
“There’s no doubt he will be very disappointed he has missed out. He dearly loves playing in the Maroon jersey, you have seen that in 27 matches he has played, but at the same time he is a professional and he has spoken to Kev, he just wants what is best for Queensland.
“Billy will go back and work extremely hard to put his case forward for game two and that’s all he can do.”
Boyd, who plays his 27th Origin match next Wednesday night, knows Slater will keep him honest.
“I’m never safe,” he said.
“If I play a bad game for Queensland this week, I won’t be playing the next game that’s for sure.
“That’s the beauty of the job but also the tough part, you can play well and loyalty is a key thing in the Queensland circle. But you also have to do your job because there are plenty of guys knocking down the door to take your spot.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...i/news-story/1db47b8ff16cc73834b2687e80a3063b
