Darius Boyd to be on Australian Story (ABC)

I'll certainly be watching. I'm happy for Darius that he has (seemingly) put his troubles behind him. I'm sure that becoming a better man will also make him a better footballer.
 
It'll never happen because he's Bennett's golden boy but Boyd to Four Corners, Milford to Australian Story and Ash Taylor to the 7:30 report is a much stronger lineup. Milford works best with the extra time and space he'd get on Australian Story, Boyd's great finishing skills would work well finishing up the night at Four Corners and Ash Taylor's a future prime time host. Plus if we don't get him on a main channel now he'll leave us and head to SBS.
 
I'll get the "best post" signature organised for him...
 
It's on tonight at 8pm

It's called Battling the Blues

In a candid interview, Darius Boyd speaks about his mother's battle with mental illness, his own battle with depression and how football first became his saviour and then his worst enemy.
 
Will be checking this out after tonight's game, the quotes from Bennett in the media came from this story.
 
I thought it was a good summary of Boyd's life, both publicly and personally. With that sort of upbringing, you aren't going to have a totally normal life.

I'm really happy for him and his wife that Darius is now in a good place. I'm thrilled that they're having a baby, but why does its date of birth have to be so close to the Grand Final? Footy aside, I think that meeting his father might be the last piece of the puzzle for him.

I think that now, with Boyd in his best-ever mental state, he will only become a better footballer. More importantly, he will now be able to stay mentally strong through form drops.
 
Good for Darius. Think about it, here is a guy that really couldn't of been brought up in any tougher circumstances. I give a lot of credit to someone who has the courage to make the changes that he did. He could of just as easily buried himself in sorrow till days end but he went the other way and has clearly made some staggering improvements working on himself.

Bit that cracked me up, was Bennett mentioning the only person not in need of self love was Wendell. LOL.
 
symbolsoup said:
I worry that meeting his dad could be the straw that broke the camels back.

Sometimes it's better to wonder rather than know the reality, sadly. Hope he forges forward with what he has resolved. He's overcome enough to get where he is. The absolute most important thing for him is recognising the good people who have got him to this stage in life, and then learning to be a great dad. That will be hard enough without dragging more complexity into it.
Click to expand...

This must be all very similar for you.
 
Great story !!!

I have a whole new perspective on Boyd now.
 
WALEED ALY, PRESENTER: Hello. I’m Waleed Aly. In a sports-mad country like ours, even Victorians have to accept that State of Origin is about as good as it gets. It’s one of the highlights of the sporting year for me every single year. And Darius Boyd is an Origin legend. But he’s also one of rugby league’s most reluctant stars, famous for shunning the media spotlight. That horrific accident to his friend Alex MacKinnon caused him to walk away from the game, realising that he needed to confront his own demons. But now he’s back, triumphant in Origin One and ready to talk about his battles with depression and how to make peace with the past. This is his story.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): On five, Lockyer again, they’re trying to go quickly. Greg Inglis - and now Boyd! Darius Boyd is in to score!
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: Darius is in the elite category. Yeah, he's one of those special ones with, got special gifts. And he's maximised all that with his attitude and his dedication.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): Boyd! Boyd! Stepping is over! Darius Boyd has scored!
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: He’s basically done it all when it comes to rugby league.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): Morris, inside to Boyd! Boyd has scored for the Kangaroos!
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: Off the field Darius is painfully shy. He has a mystique about him, because he's never let the media or the fans into his world.
WILLIE MASON, TEAMMATE (Ch. 9 news, archive) (laughs): Don’t interrogate my friend! Don’t interrogate him!
BEN IKIN, RUGBY LEAGUE COMMENTATOR: I think he’s made a habit out of being able to hide his emotions and his feelings and not discuss, you know, what he’s going through.
REPORTER: What about your own form, Darius? Are you happy how you’re going personally?
DARIUS BOYD: Oh, next question.
WENDELL SAILOR, FMR TEAMMATE: People that don't know him: they just think he's an arrogant sort of prick, sometimes, you know.
DARIUS BOYD: I thought everyone hated me. Everyone was against me. It was me against the world.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: He is his biggest critic. Um, he’s extremely hard on himself.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: He plays in one of the toughest sports in the world. But deep down there's a turmoil that he's been unable to rectify and it's what brought his career to a shattering halt.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): Queensland there with their superstar team.
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: Rugby league players and the profile they have: they’re rock stars. You know, they’re celebrities.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Yeah, they do. They get treated like they’re superstars. (Laughs)
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): Well! What a catch by Darius Boyd. They break into the delight of victory.
WENDELL SAILOR, FMR TEAMMATE: Football's not the real world. You get pampered. You get put on a pedestal. And sometimes you know it’s a bit false.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): Here comes Darius Boyd again. He’s almost - there he is! That's a try.
BEN IKIN, RUGBY LEAGUE COMMENTATOR: You know, if you've got a introverted personality then, when you're living life publicly, like professional rugby league players do, you can get into a bad habit of withdrawing and, you know, disconnecting from people.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): Here they go again! Darius Boyd scores another try.
DARIUS BOYD: I've been someone that's always been quiet and shy anyway. And I think over the years: trusting people, I've been burnt and a few different things - or bagged or whatever it is - it's just closed me off more and more.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): And Darius goes in to score. Another try.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: We have to realise he didn’t grow up in a normal upbringing. He didn’t have the support and the social skills that most young boys have.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: You admire those that battle so hard to get somewhere. And he'd obviously had a battle. But I knew he was different. There was just things about him that kind of intimated to me so. And over a period of time, you know, I picked up the pieces of what the hell was really going on in his life.
(Home video footage of Darius Boyd as a boy playing rugby)
DALLIN BOYD, UNCLE: C’mon Darius! Go!
DELPINE BOYD, GRANDMOTHER: Can’t he run straight without them getting him down?
(Footage ends)
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: One of the obvious struggles for Darius growing up was really never knowing his father. And I think for a young boy that’s, that's a tremendously difficult experience to go through.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Darius grew up on the Gold Coast. I wasn't in a relationship. I just fell pregnant and I was a sole parent. And I don't know his dad's name or anything. Yeah, I mean, if I knew I'd tell him, you know, but I don’t know a lot about his dad.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: So the father figures in Darius’ life were his uncle Dallin and his grandfather.
DELPHINE BOYD, GRANDMOTHER: He grew up with his uncle, Dallin. You know. They adored each other. I've got a photo of them - of Darius and him together - and the love that's shining out of that photo of them both: he was like what a good dad would be.
DARIUS BOYD: I started playing when I was six years old and I've loved it ever since.
(Home video footage of Darius Boyd as a boy playing rugby)
DALLIN BOYD, UNCLE: Go, Darius!
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Come on, Darius!
(End of footage)
DARIUS BOYD: I think I was pretty good, growing up.
DELPHINE BOYD, GRANDMOTHER: When he was eight years old, Darius said, "They asked us at school today what we would do for a job when we grow up." He said, um, "I'm going to be a professional footballer." I said, "Oh, lovey, you're not going to do that. You get hurt and knocked about and everything." He said, "I'm going to be a professional footballer," like this, see.
DARIUS BOYD: My uncle passed away when I was about eight, which was, which was tough. And I suppose you don't really understand when you're a little kid but he was like a - I don't know, like a bit of a brother or a father figure all mixed into one. He was always a lot of fun when I got to see him. And then, um, my grandpa passed away when I was 11, so that was tough as well.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Obviously the loss of both of his father figures in his life: I think that was an extremely difficult time for him.
DARIUS BOYD: So it was me and my Mum and my Grandma and, um, that was: I still don't think that was too bad, like, until I was 15 and that's when my Mum started to have a few issues and different things, which I didn't really understand at the time.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: When Darius was 15 I was hospitalised at Robina with major depression.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: She became quite unwell and yeah, she went into a home. I guess, as any young teenage boy: when you kind of need your parents more than ever - you’re going through a lot of life changes - um, and he didn’t, he didn’t have that. He didn’t have a mother or a father.
DARIUS BOYD: Fifteen to 17, 18 was probably the hardest times. I remember one time I went and stayed at a mate's house. And, um, she I think went into hospital or something like that. And I thought, "I'll stay the weekend, then, instead of the night." And I ended up staying for about six months.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: It would have been frightening for Darius, yeah. And I probably didn't know what was going on, either.
DARIUS BOYD: I didn't really understand. I just thought, you know, my Mum was just leaving me and not - didn't want to help, or she was making it up. I didn't really understand and I suppose that's probably where our relationship fell apart.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: And then you don’t trust a lot of people because you don’t want to let people in and trust them, because you’re worried that they’re just gonna leave you again.
DARIUS BOYD: I think it's been about eight years since I've seen my Mum. It was 2006, was the last time I seen her. And I think she used to message me for a while and I think I kind of changed my number after a while and then kind of lost contact.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: He was always on my mind. So I think I just eventually had to come to terms with - that maybe one day he would get in contact with me.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Footy became his saviour. It was his way of dealing with everything in his life, I guess, or the... You know, you can run out on the footy field and let that aggression out (laughs); let the, the feelings out, especially if you’re quite introverted, like he is.
ROD PATISON, HIGH SCHOOL COACH : Yeah, Darius enrolled at Palm Beach Currumbin State High to be a member of our sports excellence rugby league program. I think even the basic logistics of getting to and from sport and all of his arrangements were a little bit of a struggle for he and Nan. He had to work hard to get lifts with mates and mates' families and all that sort of stuff.
(Footage of Rod Patison introducing Darius to weightlifting students at Palm Beach Currumbin State High School)
ROD PATISON, HIGH SCHOOL COACH: Jack's a 16-year-old front rower. He's a Broncos boy.
DARIUS BOYD: Oh, nice. He's bigger than me when I was that age, but. Still bigger than me now, pretty much.
(Footage ends)
DARIUS BOYD: Mr Patison, my football coach: he was great at the time. There was a few other teachers there that used to give me a lift to school or help me out.
ROD PATISON, HIGH SCHOOL COACH: It did show a lot of character as a junior, particularly. It didn't come easy for him and he was prepared to make a lot of sacrifices to give himself an opportunity.
(Footage of Darius as a teenager playing rugby)
ANNOUNCER: For his second try today, the full-back, Darius Boyd, is in under the post.
ROD PATISON, HIGH SCHOOL COACH: Darius' career really exploded straight out of school. He left here to join the Brisbane Broncos.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Wayne Bennett was the head coach of the Brisbane Broncos: one of the most respected er, and most successful, er, coaches in Australian sport. And what Darius found there was the father figure that he'd been longing for his entire life.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: Yeah, well it all kind of resonates with me: you know, the battle he had and his mother not being well after 15 years of age and getting through those last few years and living with his grandma who was aging and all that type of stuff. So, you know, I can relate to all that.
WENDELL SAILOR, FMR TEAMMATE: I think Wayne’s patched up a lot more lives than people give him credit for. And I still remember it: he looked me in the eye and he goes: "'Dell," he goes, "what my job as a coach and a mentor is, is what sort of men you become when you finish footy." You know, it’s not just about being the best footballer: it’s about being the best person you can be.
DARIUS BOYD : I reckon we probably talk about life more than we talk about footy, sometimes. And I mean, I’ve had times where I've been upset or down about things. He'd ask me a question or he'd just know. I wouldn't have to even go up to him: he'd just know I'm not... I'm off my game or I'm off my training. I don't look happy or whatever it is.
BEN IKIN, RUGBY LEAGUE COMMENTATOR: Darius has a meteoric rise, so he came out of playing high school football into the Broncos' first-grade side...
(Footage of Darius Boyds’ first match with the Broncos)
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): Over Boyd! And Boyd is over on debut!
(End of footage)
 
level rugby league, you know, that first year out of high school, but he won a premiership.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (archive): Brisbane are the premiers!
BEN IKIN, RUGBY LEAGUE COMMENTATOR: That generally doesn't happen.
DARIUS BOYD: Everyone wants to get a photo and they, they... they love you or they're your biggest fan or they want to praise you or whatever it is. And it's like, well... It's, it's, it's just weird because you didn't, you never got that before.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: I have followed Darius’ career, like: yeah, I went up to watch Darius play for the Broncos one year, when he was about 18, 19, I think he would have been. But he didn’t know I was there. It did feel strange: watching Darius out there, you know, like... and not being able to... A few people joked with me, just said, "Oh, I’d want to run out on the field and give him a big hug," or (laughs) you know, but no, you can’t do that.
JUANITA PHILIPS, NEWSREADER (ABC TV News, 2008): After two successful decades guiding the Brisbane Broncos, Wayne Bennett is taking his coaching credentials to the Dragons.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: That relationship with Wayne Bennett would follow Darius Boyd throughout his career. When Wayne up and left and joined St George Illawarra in 2009, and sure enough, Darius Boyd followed him.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): Boyd, stepping, is over! Darius Boyd has scored!
DARIUS BOYD: It was probably, looking back, as one of the best things I ever done was going to the Dragons for sure. I suppose I'd really become of age, at that time: you know, 21. And we were really successful at the Dragons for a couple of years there.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Ch. 9, archive): Here he goes for his third try: he does that for the Dragons.
DARIUS BOYD: I met Kayla in 2010 at the Gold Coast.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: I just kind of thought, "Wow, he’s a really good-looking guy." That’s what got my interest. And then, yeah, we got talking and he seemed to be a very confident person: not arrogant, not cocky or anything like that.
DARIUS BOYD: We kind of hit it off after seeing each other for a few times and the rest is history, I guess.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: I met him at the peak of his career, really when, when football was going amazing for him. He was in a really good place professionally and personally.
DARIUS BOYD: Kayla and I got married at Mission Beach. It was awesome.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: I didn't get to go to Darius's wedding. Well, it was sad, like, to be sort of not involved or included.
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: For all of his talent, for all of his success, he was a hard player for supporters to relate to because they felt like they didn't know him. It was early in his time at St George Illawarra, he had, ah, the infamous one-word answer interview that was, that eventually the media cut that one off because they weren't getting anywhere.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: When I first met him, I ended up coming across that interview and I actually thought to myself, "Oh my God, does he not know how to talk?"
DARIUS BOYD: Someone would say, "You've got to talk to these guys." And I, oh, I don't want to do it. And they kind of force you and it's like, well, and I ended up doing one of those interviews. I just didn't want to say anything, pretty much.
(Footage of post match interview)
REPORTER (archive): What are your thoughts about the way your team's going at the moment, Darius?
DARIUS BOYD (archive): Um... Yeah, it's pretty good, ay.
REPORTER (archive): Pretty...
DARIUS BOYD (archive): Yeah.
REPORTER (archive, off-screen): Waste of time.
(End of footage)
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Darius has been called everything from rude to arrogant; obtuse. The media want more out of Darius but he just doesn’t have the tools to give them more.
DARIUS BOYD: For a long time, I suppose, I was never trying to win a popularity contest. I just wanted to play football. I love footy. That’s my job. That's what I want to do. And I know the media’s part of it and that, but I just really didn’t like that side of it.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: He made me look good with the media. I used to love his interviews. You know, in Darius's case it, it was something that he was scared of: something that he felt he couldn't handle. Something that... They were trying to, you know, get into his life, into his space which he'd kept so many people out all this time, you know. You know, there's a part of me that admired what he did because he was being himself. You know, as hard as it was, he wasn't playing the game.
NEWS PRESENTER (ABC TV, 2011): To sport and the Newcastle Knights have secured the most sought-after signature in the NRL: Dragons coach Wayne Bennett.
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: So Wayne coached the Dragons for three years and here he was, coming to Newcastle in 2012 with Darius Boyd, his star player. And the expectation was that premierships would follow.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Newcastle was an exciting opportunity with the unknown. Um, and it was a positive move. We were really looking forward to it.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Fox Sports): On the inside to Darius Boyd. And Boyd's too good. The Knights are back.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: There was a lot of hype, a lot of expectation that Darius could do what he had already done at two previous clubs. But he failed to live up to that reputation and it was when he couldn't deliver on that performance of previous seasons that the pressure became all too much.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Football wasn’t going that great for him. And you know, if he didn’t play well again or if he, he wasn’t happy with how he played... Um, you know, we would go back to an after-function and he’d sit there and he’d just look down at the ground or he’d look at the TV. He didn’t want to engage or talk to anyone. He couldn’t understand why people were happy when they, they lost a game.
DARIUS BOYD: You just get down and worse and worse and you just get in this hole and you can't get out. I just think: just... And then I suppose everything comes up from childhood and other things you've done in your life and your early years or whatever: it all comes on and piles into one.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: His mother was the key to it all. I mean, I’d talk to him about going to see his mother. I knew how important that was. I just, I just... That was a thing that I really wanted him to do. But he would just reject me. He would just walk away from that conversation, you know?
DARIUS BOYD: My mum sent me a watch. I think it was sent through the Knights club and they passed it on to me. And I opened it up and there was a watch. There was no... There was no note, no nothing. And that had been about, say, six years. No, I hadn't heard one thing.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: And it was just to say that I was still thinking of him: you know, like, that I hadn’t forgotten about him or anything.
DARIUS BOYD: I remember Kayla, my wife: she... I told her to send it back and I was pissed off. And I thought, there wasn't even a note: nothing.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: But yeah, no, that probably hurt me a bit, 'cause it come back. Yeah.
DARIUS BOYD: I was just angry and I mean... Now, looking back, I feel terrible about it but I mean it's... I mean, that’s... like too much anger and I couldn’t understand at the time.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Darius doesn't have an extended bunch of mates. He has a close unit of friends but at the top of the tree is Alex McKinnon. They, they have a, a rare relationship of real trust and respect.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Here’s Boyd on the outside of them again! McKinnon getting across!
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Everyone loves Alex. He’s just got that personality that people just: you meet him and you love him. And Darius is obviously a lot more quiet and shy. So that I think as friends they kind of complemented each other.
DARIUS BOYD: He's a great bloke. He gets along with everyone. He was probably my best, definitely my best mate in Newcastle.
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: Alex was kind of his mouthpiece. He was his point of contact with the team and with the town. And he kind of, ah, lived the life for Darius. Everything changed on the night of their game against Melbourne in March.
SPORTS COMMENTATOR (Fox Sports, Mar. 2014) Now, McKinnon going into the turf head-first.
BRETT KEEBLE, SPORTS WRITER, NEWCASTLE HERALD: Alex McKinnon was tipped up in a tackle and he suffered a couple of fractured vertebrae in his neck.
WENDELL SAILOR, FMR TEAMMATE: You know, he was laying on the ground and you could see the words where he couldn't feel his legs and that. You know, and he just couldn’t have movement and you knew it was bad.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: We were at home watching the game, because Darius was injured.
DARIUS BOYD: I wasn’t too sure 'cause, I mean, you see people get taken off in a neck brace all the time. So I mean, it's, you know, it's precautionary most of the time. But I remember seeing him: like, he looked like in a lot of pain at the time. That was pretty scary.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: They were genuine best friends and the Alex situation affected him enormously
DARIUS BOYD: I felt, like, empty. I felt like I'd nearly lost, lost a mate in a way, like it was. When he eventually got back to Sydney, I'd drive down to Sydney at least once a week and see him and that.
NRL ANNOUNCER (Jul. 2014): Ladies and gentlemen, before we kick off this afternoon we would like to recognise an outstanding young man.
DAVID RICCIO, SPORTS WRITER, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: There was the "Rise for Alex" round that was specifically put on by the NRL to raise funds and finance for Alex.
NRL ANNOUNCER (Jul. 2014): Rugby league fans, I now ask that you as one rise for Alex.
DARIUS BOYD: Everyone was in tears on the field and it was just a, yeah, a really emotional time. There was heaps of signs in the crowd. I felt terrible, but you can only imagine his pain and how he was dealing with things.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: I think Darius got really cheesed off with himself when he realised he had so much and Alex had so much taken away from him. And Alex was happy every day and doing his best, and he was unhappy.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: When Alex got injured, Darius then became even more introverted and more in a shell. So he really didn’t leave the house and he really didn’t want to do anything or see anyone or, or talk to anyone.
DARIUS BOYD: I got in that bubble of negativity and it was just: couldn’t get out. It was just like a spiral that just got worse and worse and I never got on top of it until it was too late, kind of thing.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: It affected our marriage, like, massively. Like, everything that could tear a marriage apart happened. And I - Everybody has their limits, you know? And as... I mean, I just felt helpless: like, I couldn’t help him. He was pushing me away. He didn’t want my help.
DARIUS BOYD: She just had enough and it was... wasn't a good relationship for her to be in and she left. And it was probably, it was really what I needed: just to - that was the last straw and it was what probably what woke me up and just, I needed a change, I needed to change myself.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: There's no 27-year-old in Australia who wouldn't love to have what Darius Boyd had. But he wasn't happy. Yeah, well, he came and seen me and he said, "Look, I need to go to rehab." And he'd convinced himself that's what he needed to do, and I supported that. I didn't, I didn't know where he was at and I'm not qualified to do that. So I said, "Mate, I'm totally behind you. Go and get yourself sorted out." And... and that's what he did.
WENDELL SAILOR, FMR TEAMMATE: I think, you know, we talk about courage on the football field but I think it took... takes a lot of courage off the field to be able to put up your hand and say, you know, "I've got some problems in my life. It stemmed from this." Or, "I've got to take responsibility but I don't want it to be a band-aid solution."
DARIUS BOYD: So I remember my manager helped me organise the place and I remember ringing a nurse in there and she was really helpful. And after I hung up the phone I just started crying. I was just like: it was like a relief. I was just like, I was so happy I'd sorted it out and organized it.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: When he made the decision to go into the clinic he, you know, came to me and, and asked if I could support him through that. And, you know, I obviously love him. And so the hardest time... (crying) in, um, anyone’s life, I think, if they feel the need to do that. So, you know, of course I love him and I’m his wife. Like, of course I was going to support him.
DARIUS BOYD: I didn’t have any expectations. And I was open to medication, I was open to group therapy or whatever I had to do, just to help myself because I knew I needed it. I wasn’t holding back: I just wanted to get better and that's, I mean that's half the battle, really.
DARIUS BOYD: As a whole I think I feel more positive... My therapist said it was a bit like an adjustment depression. He just said obviously I hadn't sorted out a lot of things from my childhood and my teenage years.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: I went out and visited him, felt like jumping into bed with him. (Laughs) We were going through a pretty tough time ourselves and he was my star player, one of the many we'd kind of lost through the year. And I thought, "God, Darius, I should be here with you. What am I doing visiting you?" Um, but it was a.. .you know, it was a pretty uplifting occasion. He was - I could see the change in him after about a week there, you know: how much happier he was in himself.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: I think the clinic was the best thing he’s ever done in his life. It made him realise that he does have people around him who love him and who care about him. And to kind of express his feelings and talk about what he’s going through and it, it’s OK to have down days. Overall he, you know, he’s a much happier person and our relationship is in a much, much better place and we’re both really happy.
DARIUS BOYD: After I got out of the clinic I made contact with my Mum. So I had a bit of a plan when I got out of the clinic and that was one of them. And yeah, I was definitely nervous at the time.
(Footage of Darius Boyd visiting his mother Rochelle Boyd)
DARIUS BOYD: Hey.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Hi.
DARIUS BOYD: Going all right?
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Yeah, good. Yourself?
DARIUS BOYD: Yeah, I'm good.
(End of footage)
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Well, I hadn't seen him for nine years. When I saw him a few weeks ago, I was just so happy to see him. I was really... I don't know, just glad that he was back in my life, sort of thing.
DARIUS BOYD: I definitely feel, like, she's my Mum and things. But it's still, it's still a bit awkward. I think going to the clinic’s really made me understand more and what's important with family and friends and all that’s more important than football.
(Rochelle and Darius Boyd look through photo album)
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: That’s your first birthday there. : That’s your fourth birthday.
 

ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Darius has changed a bit: like, probably matured more as he’s got older. I’m really happy to see him, yeah. So that’s... The main objective, I think, is just to catch up on what I’ve missed out on for those nine years, you know.
(Footage of Darius and Rochelle Boyd looking at her pet bird)
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: Probably won't do it now.
DARIUS BOYD: Oh, whistle?
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER (laughs): Yeah.
(Rochelle whistles at the bird. It whistles back)
DARIUS BOYD: There you go. He's got one.
(End of footage)
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Reconciling with his mum has been something that he’s needed to do for many years. And I think he thought that he didn’t need to. Since he’s done it, like, he, he feels like a weight’s been lifted off his shoulders. He’s learnt a lot more about what went on.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: Every time I mention her to him now, a smile comes on his face. "Have you been to see your mum? How's things going?" You know, and he smiles. And he didn't want to talk to me about that two years ago, 12 months ago.
SPORTS REPORTER: The bond of Bennett and Boyd, both back in Brisbane after the 27-year-old signed a three-year deal to play full-back with his old club.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Oh, it’s meant the absolute world to him: to come back to the Broncos. You know, it’s home for him. It’s where he started and he’s always said that he would love to finish off his career here.
SPORTS REPORTER (press conference): Darius, how does it feel to be back?
DARIUS BOYD (press conference): Yeah, it's great. My heart's pumping a bit at the moment. I'm excited. It's something I never thought would happen.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: He's a changed man at the moment, there's no doubt about that, you know. And he's comfortable and he communicates much more, much easier,
SPORTS REPORTER (press conference): What do you feel you've learned about yourself in the last three months?
DARIUS BOYD (press conference): Oh, how long do you have? An hour?
(Laughter)
DARIUS BOYD: I definitely want to be a happier person. I walk around with a frown too many times. And um, I don't know, it's not hard to have a smile or just be, I think, more humbling or more, er, open to people and different things.
ROCHELLE BOYD, MOTHER: I’ve come to watch Darius play footy tonight. Oh, it's so exciting. Like, I haven’t seen him play for quite a while, live. I’ve seen him on television but not in person.
DARIUS BOYD: I have a big support crew. Yeah, my mum was there, which, to have her come and support as well is special, for sure.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: He’s a different b-boy. He really is. Yeah. And he’s proud of that. And he likes himself. Yeah, he’s never liked himself enough, you know. I mean, you hear the, um, the psychs say, you know, "You’ve gotta fall in love with yourself." Well, Wendell Sailor’s the only guy that I kind of ever met that did that. But we, the rest of us have to like ourselves. And Darius: I think Darius likes the new Darius.
KAYLA BOYD, WIFE: Well, I’m pregnant. We are expecting a little girl, um, on the 5th of October - the day after the Grand Final. So if the Broncos keep playing how they’re playing, um, and they make the Grand Final, he could have potentially two premier wins. (Laughs) A baby and a premiership, hopefully, so...
DARIUS BOYD: Yeah, I think growing up not having the biggest family myself is, um, something I really want to cherish and have my own family and, and, and, and make it a really special one. And, um, having our own little baby is gonna be, yeah: something very exciting.
WAYNE BENNETT, COACH, BRISBANE BRONCOS: Darius Boyd's an extremely good person. Darius is just starting to come out of himself. And I hope the world gets to see that bloke. As my friend said to me after I did Australian Story with you, he said, "People have been bagging you for years." He said, "In 30 minutes you've convinced them you're not a bad bloke," you know. So I hope you do the same for him.
END CAPTIONS:
Darius Boyd continues to attend counselling. He also works as a State of Mind ambassador for the National Rugby League to increase awareness around mental health.
Following a potential season-ending injury, Darius made an unexpected return to the winning Queensland State of Origin team last week.
(Footage of Darius and Alex playing a rugby league video game at home)
ALEX MCKINNON: Impress me.
(They laugh)
 
New Posts

Unread

Watch

YouTube
0 0 604
1:25:04
ARL Round 13, 1996 - Brisbane Broncos vs Parramatta Eels
View full media list »

Active Now

  • Xarr
Total: 71 (members: 2, guests: 69)
Robots: 344
Top
  AdBlock Message
Please consider adding BHQ to your Adblock Whitelist. We do our best to make sure it doesn't affect your experience on the website, and the funds help us pay server and software costs.