Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
- 43,805
- 32,701
TO understand what drives the Broncos, you need to understand their top dog – their captain – and why his competitive drive can bring a premiership to Red Hill.
It is one thing to watch Darius Boyd in action and admire the skill-set that makes him one of the best players in rugby league.
It is another to get inside his head. To get him to open up about his levels of perfectionism and professionalism. At times, they drive him crazy. Mostly, Boyd’s mentality underpins the wider Broncos culture.
There are no shortcuts. The Broncos are only ever as strong as their weakest player. In the world of Darius Boyd, there is no room for error.
“When things don’t go my way, even now, I still think about quitting rugby league. That’s the perfectionist in me,” Boyd says as he prepares to return from a broken thumb against the Eels on Thursday night.
“On the field, sometimes I snap at my teammates. I’ll get pissed off at a mistake they make. Afterwards, I feel bad about it and I say sorry to that person.
“I’m very competitive, probably too competitive. I don’t like being half-arsed at anything. If I’m not good at something, I won’t do it. That’s why I won’t play golf. I can’t swim well either, so I don’t want to do it.
“Being a perfectionist is tough. In my life, I’ve taken things too seriously in the past. I’ve had to learn that it’s OK not to be perfect, that we all make mistakes, but I guess that attitude has made me become the player I am.
“I just don’t accept anything but the best.”
Boyd’s external appearance is at odds with the fire that burns internally. On the surface, the Maroons Origin ace is relaxed, calm, clean-cut and carefree. But in an age where many NRL stars act too cool for school, Brisbane’s skipper is a driven, calculated, self-confessed football geek.
He watches football games with a forensic eye. Like an NRL geometrist, Boyd studies attacking shapes, angles and lines. His mastery at fullback is no fluke. Boyd exploits three-on-two plays better than anyone because his muscle memory is trained for it.
“I am a footy nerd. The boys pay me out for the amount of footy I watch,” he says.
“I look at attacking shapes and why teams and players do things. I wonder why something happens on the field and how I can improve myself in that situation.
“I’m very competitive, probably too competitive. I don’t like being half-arsed at anything. If I’m not good at something, I won’t do it. That’s why I won’t play golf. I can’t swim well either, so I don’t want to do it.
“I like to know the process so I execute to the best of my ability. For example, I will do something 100 times so I get better at it before I attempt it properly. There’s no point doing something and not doing it properly, that’s my mentality.
“I am pretty determined, too. If I put my mind to something, then I won’t stop until I get there.”
For a man who was diagnosed with “adjustment depression” three years ago, Boyd has had little trouble handling some seismic adjustments at the Broncos.
Once a brooding, quiet, distrusting soul, Boyd now relishes his leadership role at Red Hill.
Two months ago, a Broncos under-20s player spoke out, approaching club officials to tell them he was feeling depressed. Boyd, who had a stint in rehab in 2014, was summoned to help mentor him.
He admits there are times when he struggles with the spotlight. For that reason, he has shunned social media. While many celebrities and NRL stars are active users of Twitter and Instagram, Boyd doesn’t want a bar of it.
“My wife gets comments on social media and that makes me feel pretty s***,” he says.
“That’s why I don’t have social media.
“People can be so negative on there. The old me was negative, bitter, withdrawn and angry and it was draining, so now I would rather try to be positive about life and help people who are doing it tough mentally.
“Just recently, we had a young bloke at the Broncos who asked for help. I was called in and we had a chat. That was awesome for a young kid to speak up and trust me enough to share his story and let me help him with what I’ve been through.
“It’s probably a bit of therapy for me. It’s a good feeling when you think you can tell your story, your journey and help others.”
The perfectionist in Boyd won’t be satisfied until he breaks the longest premiership drought in Broncos history.
“At the Broncos, I’m the captain and I feel we have the team to win the comp,” he said.
“It’s a team sport and I know as individuals we all have to get it right.
“But I won’t be leaving any stone unturned (to win the title) and I’m lucky I have a coach like Wayne Bennett who is so good at bringing a group of men together.
“Anything short of a premiership would be hard to accept.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...r/news-story/8b33803f42da8daec6a914eb10b4e82a
It is one thing to watch Darius Boyd in action and admire the skill-set that makes him one of the best players in rugby league.
It is another to get inside his head. To get him to open up about his levels of perfectionism and professionalism. At times, they drive him crazy. Mostly, Boyd’s mentality underpins the wider Broncos culture.
There are no shortcuts. The Broncos are only ever as strong as their weakest player. In the world of Darius Boyd, there is no room for error.
“When things don’t go my way, even now, I still think about quitting rugby league. That’s the perfectionist in me,” Boyd says as he prepares to return from a broken thumb against the Eels on Thursday night.
“On the field, sometimes I snap at my teammates. I’ll get pissed off at a mistake they make. Afterwards, I feel bad about it and I say sorry to that person.
“I’m very competitive, probably too competitive. I don’t like being half-arsed at anything. If I’m not good at something, I won’t do it. That’s why I won’t play golf. I can’t swim well either, so I don’t want to do it.
“Being a perfectionist is tough. In my life, I’ve taken things too seriously in the past. I’ve had to learn that it’s OK not to be perfect, that we all make mistakes, but I guess that attitude has made me become the player I am.
“I just don’t accept anything but the best.”
Boyd’s external appearance is at odds with the fire that burns internally. On the surface, the Maroons Origin ace is relaxed, calm, clean-cut and carefree. But in an age where many NRL stars act too cool for school, Brisbane’s skipper is a driven, calculated, self-confessed football geek.
He watches football games with a forensic eye. Like an NRL geometrist, Boyd studies attacking shapes, angles and lines. His mastery at fullback is no fluke. Boyd exploits three-on-two plays better than anyone because his muscle memory is trained for it.
“I am a footy nerd. The boys pay me out for the amount of footy I watch,” he says.
“I look at attacking shapes and why teams and players do things. I wonder why something happens on the field and how I can improve myself in that situation.
“I’m very competitive, probably too competitive. I don’t like being half-arsed at anything. If I’m not good at something, I won’t do it. That’s why I won’t play golf. I can’t swim well either, so I don’t want to do it.
“I like to know the process so I execute to the best of my ability. For example, I will do something 100 times so I get better at it before I attempt it properly. There’s no point doing something and not doing it properly, that’s my mentality.
“I am pretty determined, too. If I put my mind to something, then I won’t stop until I get there.”
For a man who was diagnosed with “adjustment depression” three years ago, Boyd has had little trouble handling some seismic adjustments at the Broncos.
Once a brooding, quiet, distrusting soul, Boyd now relishes his leadership role at Red Hill.
Two months ago, a Broncos under-20s player spoke out, approaching club officials to tell them he was feeling depressed. Boyd, who had a stint in rehab in 2014, was summoned to help mentor him.
He admits there are times when he struggles with the spotlight. For that reason, he has shunned social media. While many celebrities and NRL stars are active users of Twitter and Instagram, Boyd doesn’t want a bar of it.
“My wife gets comments on social media and that makes me feel pretty s***,” he says.
“That’s why I don’t have social media.
“People can be so negative on there. The old me was negative, bitter, withdrawn and angry and it was draining, so now I would rather try to be positive about life and help people who are doing it tough mentally.
“Just recently, we had a young bloke at the Broncos who asked for help. I was called in and we had a chat. That was awesome for a young kid to speak up and trust me enough to share his story and let me help him with what I’ve been through.
“It’s probably a bit of therapy for me. It’s a good feeling when you think you can tell your story, your journey and help others.”
The perfectionist in Boyd won’t be satisfied until he breaks the longest premiership drought in Broncos history.
“At the Broncos, I’m the captain and I feel we have the team to win the comp,” he said.
“It’s a team sport and I know as individuals we all have to get it right.
“But I won’t be leaving any stone unturned (to win the title) and I’m lucky I have a coach like Wayne Bennett who is so good at bringing a group of men together.
“Anything short of a premiership would be hard to accept.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...r/news-story/8b33803f42da8daec6a914eb10b4e82a
