Three things about Darius...

[Jeba]

Hodges is a big play player too.

and here's hoping [icon_pray. Darius becomes "a big play player too". Can't have too many "big play players". icon_thumbs_u

Quite correct but I think with Hunt, Lockyer, Hodges, Wallace, Marsh, Carroll, Thaiday, Taylor etc etc in our team I think we have enough options in that department to allow Darius to do his job which he is doing very well so far icon_thumbs_u

 

[Coxy]

Actually you can. If you've got 17 blokes who all want to do the "big play", then you don't have anyone willing to do the "percenters". The little covering tackle (Stagg), the dummyhalf scoots from deep in your own territory (Boyd)...

Hodges, great big play player, but lazy as hell, gets bored and makes mistakes in defence too - see Kenny-Dowall try that should've been awarded last week. Wouldn't trade him for any other centre in the game, but he can't be relied upon to do the "percenters".

 

[trigrhappi]

Actually you can. If you've got 17 blokes who all want to do the "big play", then you don't have anyone willing to do the "percenters". The little covering tackle (Stagg), the dummyhalf scoots from deep in your own territory (Boyd)...

Hodges, great big play player, but lazy as hell, gets bored and makes mistakes in defence too - see Kenny-Dowall try that should've been awarded last week. Wouldn't trade him for any other centre in the game, but he can't be relied upon to do the "percenters".

That's one example (of questionable quality I might add). Surely you're not implying all "big play players" are lazy or capable of completing the "percenters".

 

[Coxy]

No, not all. But a fair bet most big play players won't want to waste energy doing things that any average first grader can do. Every premiership team the Broncos have had have had players that are good support players but not play makers in their own right. A team needs balance.

 

[mick]

No, not all. But a fair bet most big play players won't want to waste energy doing things that any average first grader can do. Every premiership team the Broncos have had have had players that are good support players but not play makers in their own right. A team needs balance.

That's pretty much spot-on. Big play players can tend to sit back a little and inject themselves into the competition when they are needed most to benefit their team.

That's why having a few metre-eatres and tackling machines in a team is so important.

Hell, that's why Petero was one of the most valuable players in our team for so long. Talented for sure, but the guy rarely scored tries or even made a line break. He wasn't even a prolific offloader who ran with a whole heap of impact.

But he could churn through 10-15 metres whenever called upon, and was so reliable in making tackles. The work that guys like him did has allowed our team to stay successful for so long.

 

[trigrhappi]

No, not all. But a fair bet most big play players won't want to waste energy doing things that any average first grader can do. Every premiership team the Broncos have had have had players that are good support players but not play makers in their own right. A team needs balance.

eusa_think Sure balance is important. So if you were designing your ultimate team, would your wingers be percentage players?

 

[Alec]

I would help if he ran the ball straighter and harder. This way we'd start the set further up and the forwards wouldn't have to travel as far back...

 

[kimlo_]

A bit harsh, How many wingers in the competition can you name which can genuinely create something from nothing? honestly 3, 4 5 probs max? I can think of Krisnan Inu and Jarrad Hayne, no one else really.

 

[Coxy]

Wingers are supposed to finish things off and that's exactly what Boyd does. I'm not too concened about how he runs the ball back - That's not really an issue and it's not going to put our premiership hopes in jepoardy!

Exactly. As long as Boyd is safe under the high ball, reads the play well on the last tackle, defends solidly, happily helps run the ball out of trouble and can chime in to finish off movements, then he's doing his job.

 

[Russo]

I keep hearing he has a footy brain. Players which are labeled to have a "footy brain" are usually players that are hopeless in attack. Players such as Paul Bowman, De Vere, Josh Hannay, Matt Geyer all seem to have this "footy brain".

So you are saying these players were hopeless in attack, you really have no idea do you. Yes defence may have been more their strength (not sure re Geyer) but nearly all played SOO and Test footy, won games for their sides in both attack and defence, 2 were champion goalkickers, and all 4 for long periods of their careers were first picked each week for their respective teams.

I have been quite in this thread as those that know me well know that I am an unabashed fan of Boyd's and what he does for the Broncos. This crap about WB only picking him cause of family problems is absolute crap as WB does not work that way as evidenced by him dropping Darius last year when his form dropped away. Trig you started this thread to ask a few questions and even say this is not an attack on his ability, but in the end that is all you have done through the whole thread is attack him.

Every year we have the same thing crop up. The guy has scored a hattrick in week one, and then the matchwinner in round two, is top 5 in metres returned, is actually playing out of position on the wing (he is a better fullback), has a great formation with Michaels on the left which means WB doesn't need to worry about that side of the field (both attack and defence, but his centre passes to the winger), yet folks here still criticise his kick returns and sideways running.

He does not have the size of Sailor or Tuquiri or other bigger wingers we had. The likes of Carne and Hancock ran sideways all the time to find the hole in the advancing defensive line, and as Chris as said this is what he has to do on coaches orders (Robinson is doing the same).

Leave him alone, let him continue to play good football and score tries, and get on him to be the NRL's leading tryscorer for the year.

 

[trigrhappi]

Exactly. As long as Boyd is safe under the high ball, reads the play well on the last tackle, defends solidly, happily helps run the ball out of trouble and can chime in to finish off movements, then he's doing his job.

Sounds like the attributes of most wingers in the QLD cup. To be respected in the NRL he should also be able to turn those half tries into actual tries (not actual tries into half tries i.e. game breaker against Roosters). With his size he should act like an extra forward for at least one ruck in most sets. He should be looking for opportunities to get in the middle and use his speed when it gets cold and lonely out there on the wing. He should fight in every tackle so the opposition think 'not this bloke again!' when they see him running - he must of played plenty of oztag as a young fella.
Fact is, Darius Boyd has plenty of aspects in his game that need to be rectified if he is to be considered a top class winger. Sure he's showing signs of improvement this year, sure there are parts of his game that are solid, but there's still a loooong way to go. [icon_frown

It's been an admirable effort by Cocksee and his merry men to defend Darius, however maybe you boys would like to now move on to other such hopeless causes such as "there is no hole in the Ozone layer", "Global warming is good for my suntan" and "Bringing Christianity to the Middle East".

 

[BroncoMatt]

Exactly. As long as Boyd is safe under the high ball, reads the play well on the last tackle, defends solidly, happily helps run the ball out of trouble and can chime in to finish off movements, then he's doing his job.

To be respected in the NRL he should also be able to turn those half tries into actual tries (not actual tries into half tries i.e. game breaker against Roosters). .

I didnt realise Boyd was awared a 2 point try for that effort? [eusa_eh eusa_think

 

[Coxy]

Well said Russo.

I'd love a few of these critics, not just of Boyd, but of other specific players and what they do on the field, to go along to a training session and pay attention to the field work and what they practice. They work to a game plan and each have specific roles to do.

You can bet your bottom dollar Benny would be FURIOUS if Peter Wallace or Darren Lockyer took a dummy half scoot out of trouble. Or Dave Taylor.

Likewise he'd be livid if Boyd came in off his wing in attack to get in at first receiver and put a play on.

And one thing I know from my experience in sport (obviously very amateur level) is that unless everyone is working at the role they're assigned, things can and do go wrong. Particularly if someone doesn't like their role and wants to play the hero, all it does is put everyone else in the team off.

 

[Dave]

So you are saying these players were hopeless in attack, you really have no idea do you. Yes defence may have been more their strength (not sure re Geyer) but nearly all played SOO and Test footy, won games for their sides in both attack and defence, 2 were champion goalkickers, and all 4 for long periods of their careers were first picked each week for their respective teams.

I have been quite in this thread as those that know me well know that I am an unabashed fan of Boyd's and what he does for the Broncos. This crap about WB only picking him cause of family problems is absolute crap as WB does not work that way as evidenced by him dropping Darius last year when his form dropped away. Trig you started this thread to ask a few questions and even say this is not an attack on his ability, but in the end that is all you have done through the whole thread is attack him.

Every year we have the same thing crop up. The guy has scored a hattrick in week one, and then the matchwinner in round two, is top 5 in metres returned, is actually playing out of position on the wing (he is a better fullback), has a great formation with Michaels on the left which means WB doesn't need to worry about that side of the field (both attack and defence, but his centre passes to the winger), yet folks here still criticise his kick returns and sideways running.

He does not have the size of Sailor or Tuquiri or other bigger wingers we had. The likes of Carne and Hancock ran sideways all the time to find the hole in the advancing defensive line, and as Chris as said this is what he has to do on coaches orders (Robinson is doing the same).

Leave him alone, let him continue to play good football and score tries, and get on him to be the NRL's leading tryscorer for the year.

Great post Russo [eusa_clap.gi [eusa_clap.gi [eusa_clap.gi

 

[mick]

I'd like to pose another question to many on here who bag out players like Darius.

With a strict salary cap in place, exactly how could you afford a team full of superstars?

I don't know whether you were referring to me with "Cocksey's merry men", but I fail to see where the problem lies with having a solid first-grader in quite a few positions. It's inevitable. Unless you want to spend $10m, every player can't be an Inu, Marshall, Lockyer, Thurston and Asotasi. It just can't happen.

 

[mick]

And FTR, 4 tries (= 1st in the NRL) and 12 tackle breaks(!!) (= 4th in the NRL) in two matches tells me that he's not quite as "soft" in 08 so far as he has been in previous years.

And before any more personal attacks are launched, I've been a BIG critic of Darius in recent years.

But as I said before to trigrhappi and EVERYONE here, this is just debate of differing opinions! Nothing more, nothing less, and I certainly don't take any of this particularly seriously (as some are starting to do imo).

 

[Foordy]

I've never had a problem with Darius, i thought his form was a little down last season, but definitely a solid first grader.

 

[kimlo_]

Same here, hes always been a good solid first grader, a bit down last year but still good. Looks to be in great form this year