Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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DARIUS Boyd has turned the heat up on his Brisbane teammates, declaring anything short of a premiership will be a disappointment for the Broncos of 2017.
The Broncos can take another step towards securing an all important top four berth with a win in tomorrow’s Suncorp Stadium blockbuster against defending premiers Cronulla.
After falling to the Eels a fortnight ago, and losing hooker Andrew McCullough to a season-ending knee injury, the Broncos burst back to life with a 54-0 walloping of the Titans last Saturday.
As coach Wayne Bennett said, tougher opposition awaits and with games against St George-Illawarra (ninth), Parramatta (fifth) and North Queensland (sixth) to finish the regular season, Brisbane will have an ideal warm-up for the finals.
The Broncos have been anchored in the top eight since Round 6, navigating the tricky State of Origin period and getting most of their troops back on deck for the run to September.
Ten of the 17 players from the heartbreaking 2015 grand final loss to the Cowboys will be in the team tomorrow night with two years’ more experience.
They are primed to launch a bid for the club’s seventh title and Boyd said anything less would be a disappointment.
“I want to win one every year,” the first-year captain said.
“At the Broncos we have a team most years to win the competition. Anything short of that would be a disappointment to be honest.
“I think we are a real contender. We have to bring it each week. That’s the key.
“We’ve got a few weeks left to hone in on our game and get it solid. That (54-0 win) was a great step.
“Playing the premiers is going to be tough. Hopefully we can put in a good performance.”
Bennett was pleased with the intensity the Broncos displayed against the Titans after being caught out by the pumped up Eels.
Cronulla was smacked 30-12 by Canberra last weekend and the Broncos are expecting the Sharks to be back to their best and searching for a boilover.
“It’s a test we need,” Boyd said.
“We need to play quality teams and get in that arm wrestle to really see where we’re at. We can hone our skills and play our game we want to play in the finals.
“It’s all about getting that right so we know when those tough moments come, our game is down pat and we don’t have to look over our shoulders.
“We’re confident if we bring our game when it counts we can get the job done in September-October. We need to get ourselves in a good position.
“We don’t have to prove anything to anyone else. We just need to make sure we’re taking steps towards the end goal.”
Boyd and Sam Thaiday are the only players remaining at the Broncos since the club’s last premiership in 2006.
In that triumph, Shaun Berrigan was turned into a makeshift hooker and provided a spark much like Ben Hunt has done in place of McCullough.
“I can still remember when Shaun Berrigan came from centre to play dummy-half,” Thaiday said.
“It was a welcome relief. The pace and play he brought in and around the ruck was fantastic. Who knows (how far we could go) with Benny Hunt and the way he played (against the Titans).
“It’s a long way to go. We have to make sure we are consistent. We had a really big hiccup when we played the Eels.
“We’ve just got to keep building on that and put us in that top four then anything can happen.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/439f9a567db2b1095904a1bd18c6d404
The Broncos can take another step towards securing an all important top four berth with a win in tomorrow’s Suncorp Stadium blockbuster against defending premiers Cronulla.
After falling to the Eels a fortnight ago, and losing hooker Andrew McCullough to a season-ending knee injury, the Broncos burst back to life with a 54-0 walloping of the Titans last Saturday.
As coach Wayne Bennett said, tougher opposition awaits and with games against St George-Illawarra (ninth), Parramatta (fifth) and North Queensland (sixth) to finish the regular season, Brisbane will have an ideal warm-up for the finals.
The Broncos have been anchored in the top eight since Round 6, navigating the tricky State of Origin period and getting most of their troops back on deck for the run to September.
Ten of the 17 players from the heartbreaking 2015 grand final loss to the Cowboys will be in the team tomorrow night with two years’ more experience.
They are primed to launch a bid for the club’s seventh title and Boyd said anything less would be a disappointment.
“I want to win one every year,” the first-year captain said.
“At the Broncos we have a team most years to win the competition. Anything short of that would be a disappointment to be honest.
“I think we are a real contender. We have to bring it each week. That’s the key.
“We’ve got a few weeks left to hone in on our game and get it solid. That (54-0 win) was a great step.
“Playing the premiers is going to be tough. Hopefully we can put in a good performance.”
Bennett was pleased with the intensity the Broncos displayed against the Titans after being caught out by the pumped up Eels.
Cronulla was smacked 30-12 by Canberra last weekend and the Broncos are expecting the Sharks to be back to their best and searching for a boilover.
“It’s a test we need,” Boyd said.
“We need to play quality teams and get in that arm wrestle to really see where we’re at. We can hone our skills and play our game we want to play in the finals.
“It’s all about getting that right so we know when those tough moments come, our game is down pat and we don’t have to look over our shoulders.
“We’re confident if we bring our game when it counts we can get the job done in September-October. We need to get ourselves in a good position.
“We don’t have to prove anything to anyone else. We just need to make sure we’re taking steps towards the end goal.”
Boyd and Sam Thaiday are the only players remaining at the Broncos since the club’s last premiership in 2006.
In that triumph, Shaun Berrigan was turned into a makeshift hooker and provided a spark much like Ben Hunt has done in place of McCullough.
“I can still remember when Shaun Berrigan came from centre to play dummy-half,” Thaiday said.
“It was a welcome relief. The pace and play he brought in and around the ruck was fantastic. Who knows (how far we could go) with Benny Hunt and the way he played (against the Titans).
“It’s a long way to go. We have to make sure we are consistent. We had a really big hiccup when we played the Eels.
“We’ve just got to keep building on that and put us in that top four then anything can happen.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/439f9a567db2b1095904a1bd18c6d404
