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Broncos captain savaged over 'unforgivable' moment

Brisbane Broncos captain Darius Boyd has been condemned for an “unforgivable” act in his side’s crushing defeat to the Sydney Roosters.

The Broncos turned in one of their worst performances in several seasons in the 36-4 flogging by the Sydney Roosters.

The devastating loss leaves them with just one win from four starts under new coach Anthony Seibold.

Brisbane have since been slammed by several league greats, with Paul Vautin labelling the performance “a disgrace”.

Fellow NRL legends Johnathan Thurston and Andrew Johns took aim the Broncos halves, saying they looked clueless in attack.

However, one passage of play in particular, highlighted a worrying sign for the Broncos and Boyd in particular.

With Roosters forward Angus Crichton charging towards the try line, Boyd merely stood and watched his teammates attempt to make the tackle, rather than step in to lend a hand.

Boyd’s defence has come under fire this season. Pic: Getty/Fox Sports
Boyd’s defence has come under fire this season. Pic: Getty/Fox Sports

Boyd looked as if he could have prevented Crichton from grounding the footy but his inexplicable lack of action saw the Roosters score a try instead.

Rugby league journalist Phil Rothfield told Fox Sports the incident showed a distinct lack of passion on Boyd’s part.

“Boyd just stood and watched and that was a play that lacked hunger from the skipper,” Rothfield said.

“The third man in might have saved that try. He’s missing Wayne Bennett, there is no doubt about that.

“Wayne’s his second father and I think he played better football under Bennett.”

Boyd was also slammed by fans on social media over the incident.

It’s not the first time Boyd has been guilty of a defensive howler this season, with Dragons hooker Cameron McInnes bamboozling him with a dummy in round three.

Respected rugby league writer Paul Kent told Sydney’s Triple M radio he believes Boyd’s best days are well and truly behind him – questioning the Maroons Origin great’s future in the NRL.

“I think at some point he has got to have a conversation with himself about whether he wants to see out his career the right way,” Kent said.

“Darius is getting towards the end of his career and he still hasn’t still hasn’t announced when he will retire, but we know it is not too far away.

“But he is playing like he is fragile and if he is not right then he has got to get himself right.”

Forward to provide timely boost for Broncos

The Broncos will at least be buoyed by the return of destructive forward Payne Haas for their next match against the Wests Tigers.

Brisbane aren’t expecting Haas to be a panacea for their woes but are telling the giant forward to embrace the hype around him.

Arguably the most highly-touted young player in the NRL, Haas was forced to sit out the opening month because of a club-imposed sanction for not complying with an integrity unit investigation.

Despite having just three games to his name, he is considered one of the game’s most promising players and was last year signed to a $3 million, six-year contract by the Broncos.

Haas’ return against the Tigers on Thursday will be welcome relief for Seibold’s side after fellow young giant Tevita Pangai Junior accepted a two-game ban for a late shot on Cooper Cronk in the loss to the Roosters.

Haas’ return is just what the Broncos need. Pic: Getty
Haas’ return is just what the Broncos need. Pic: Getty

But Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough said 20-year-old Haas wasn’t expected to single-handedly turn around their fortunes.

“If you are a big guy like that you should be able to play the ball quickly, big Payne has got to keep it simple and run onto the ball hard and make his tackles,” McCullough said.

“He’s been out for a while, we aren’t expecting a real lot from him.

“A big frame like that in any team helps you when you look for the forward pack to create a bit of momentum. He might be that guy.”

McCullough said Haas needed to get used to the limelight and he needed to learn to enjoy his football regardless of the pressure.

“It just comes with the territory. There are a lot of young guys coming into grade now, there’s a lot of expectations, a lot of hype,” McCullough said.

“Money is changing with the salary cap increase. There’s always going to be pressure on guys to come in and perform, that’s the nature of the beast.

“As a young guy it is a rollercoaster week-in and week-out and you’ve got to enjoy it along the way.

“We’ve got to get that enjoyment back. We’ll be right, he’s just got to turn up with the right frame of mind to deliver for his teammates.”

With agencies