Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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DARIUS Boyd has vowed to bring his Origin mojo to the embattled Broncos and help haul playmaking whiz Anthony Milford out of the worst slump of his NRL career.
Milford’s line-breaking potency has dropped a staggering 90 per cent as the misfiring Broncos attempt to resurrect their season against Souths at ANZ Stadium.
Just 11 months ago, Milford and Ben Hunt routed Souths 47-12 in Sydney, and the classy pivot continued his magical form earlier this season with 10 line breaks and 47 tackle busts in the opening 10 rounds.
But in the past six weeks, Milford has one line-break from 480 minutes of football as Brisbane’s horrendous defensive efforts put pressure on their offensive output.
Boyd, however, is determined to be Brisbane’s late-season X-factor. The Maroons ace is coming off the best Origin campaign of his career and hopes Milford and Hunt profit from his contributions to Brisbane’s play-making spine.
“We definitely do have the ability to win the comp but it’s time to show that,” Boyd said.
“It’s been a tough period for our halves with the Origin guys like myself, Corey (Parker), Matt Gillett and Sammy (Thaiday) coming and going.
“Now we’re back it’s important guys like myself step up and help take the heat off them (Milford and Hunt) and build for the finals.
“We have to prove to ourselves more than anything we can turn our season around. It starts this week against a Souths side who are just as desperate us as to get some wins on the board.”
It’s no surprise Milford’s decline has coincided with Brisbane’s worrying six-week slide from the top two to the cusp of the top eight.
In the first 10 rounds Milford rocketed into Dally M contention with 10 tries, 10 line-breaks and 11 try assists.
But during Brisbane’s five losses in the past six weeks, Milford has produced one try and one line-break and his error-rate has increased by 61 per cent.
Boyd was the hapless last-line defender when Brisbane conceded 88 points in their past two matches, and said the Broncos could not use the Origin grind as an excuse.
“Our form is a concern for sure,” he said. “We did well during the Origin period last year which was a bit new to us, but this season has been more like us at this time of year.
“We’ve had more injuries this season but that and Origin can’t be an excuse for our performances.
“We’ve been blown out of a few games which isn’t like us. If we lose, we normally lose by six or eight points, but to be losing by 40 is not the Broncos club we all know.
“I’ll be honest, our confidence is down. We have the players to be doing better.
“I can’t put my finger on what’s going wrong, there is something missing, we tried hard early in the Melbourne game but then they got a few tries and they put us to the sword.
“This is a massive game for us. We need to turn the tide to make the finals with some confidence and momentum.”
No Cookies | The Courier Mail
Milford’s line-breaking potency has dropped a staggering 90 per cent as the misfiring Broncos attempt to resurrect their season against Souths at ANZ Stadium.
Just 11 months ago, Milford and Ben Hunt routed Souths 47-12 in Sydney, and the classy pivot continued his magical form earlier this season with 10 line breaks and 47 tackle busts in the opening 10 rounds.
But in the past six weeks, Milford has one line-break from 480 minutes of football as Brisbane’s horrendous defensive efforts put pressure on their offensive output.
Boyd, however, is determined to be Brisbane’s late-season X-factor. The Maroons ace is coming off the best Origin campaign of his career and hopes Milford and Hunt profit from his contributions to Brisbane’s play-making spine.
“We definitely do have the ability to win the comp but it’s time to show that,” Boyd said.
“It’s been a tough period for our halves with the Origin guys like myself, Corey (Parker), Matt Gillett and Sammy (Thaiday) coming and going.
“Now we’re back it’s important guys like myself step up and help take the heat off them (Milford and Hunt) and build for the finals.
“We have to prove to ourselves more than anything we can turn our season around. It starts this week against a Souths side who are just as desperate us as to get some wins on the board.”
It’s no surprise Milford’s decline has coincided with Brisbane’s worrying six-week slide from the top two to the cusp of the top eight.
In the first 10 rounds Milford rocketed into Dally M contention with 10 tries, 10 line-breaks and 11 try assists.
But during Brisbane’s five losses in the past six weeks, Milford has produced one try and one line-break and his error-rate has increased by 61 per cent.
Boyd was the hapless last-line defender when Brisbane conceded 88 points in their past two matches, and said the Broncos could not use the Origin grind as an excuse.
“Our form is a concern for sure,” he said. “We did well during the Origin period last year which was a bit new to us, but this season has been more like us at this time of year.
“We’ve had more injuries this season but that and Origin can’t be an excuse for our performances.
“We’ve been blown out of a few games which isn’t like us. If we lose, we normally lose by six or eight points, but to be losing by 40 is not the Broncos club we all know.
“I’ll be honest, our confidence is down. We have the players to be doing better.
“I can’t put my finger on what’s going wrong, there is something missing, we tried hard early in the Melbourne game but then they got a few tries and they put us to the sword.
“This is a massive game for us. We need to turn the tide to make the finals with some confidence and momentum.”
No Cookies | The Courier Mail
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