7th Tackle - with Josh Massoud and Liam Cox
A deserved tribute for Darius
Darius Boyd has revealed one of the secrets to his stunning return to form - and general happiness - speaking to a therapist on game days.
Almost two years after being discharged from full-time rehab, the Maroons fullback has recorded a candid reflection of the dark days that almost claimed his career. We discovered a three-minute video on the website of Ramsay Medical Health, which runs the Wentworthville clinic that treated Boyd for over a month midway through 2014.
"When I went to the clinic I really didn't know what . . . what was wrong," Boyd says. "I didn't know I've got depression. It was just like I was struggling."
Notoriously media shy, Boyd credited "group therapy" for helping him to confront serious issues in his personal life.
"I was so quiet, I got chucked into a room with 30 other people who were in similar situations and really got to hear their stories and share mine and feel you are not alone," he says. "First time sharing was a bit scary. I didn't speak up for the first few sessions and after a while I eventually got the courage to talk and felt better for it."
The 28-year-old credits his recovery to "practicing gratitude every, single day." And then there's the constant talks with his therapist; now an essential part of his game day routine. "Game day I'm pretty structured," Boyd explains. "I like to go out for breakfast with my family or some of my team mates and I usually see my therapist."
Keep the grades, change the points
With yet another player facing the grim reality of missing a marquee game for a minor offence this week, we were treated to a genius solution to what is becoming a real problem.
As an alternative to issuing fines for Grade One indiscretions, our brains trust believes the grading system should stay. What should be changed is the value of the respective games that could fall under the period of suspension.
At present all games - regular fixtures, finals matches, grand finals, Test matches and State of Origin - equate to 100 points. Despite the fact everyone agrees some of these games differ greatly in significance, there is no differentiation. But...If we kept the base at 100 points for a club game and then worked upwards in value to reflect the importance of bigger matches, that would put an end to players receiving disproportionate punishments for the same offence.
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Smarter minds than ours could be charged with devising the values, but let's say 150 points for a finals match, and 200 points for an Origin, Test or Grand Final. Under the proposed system, Wade Graham could have pleaded guilty with his 117-point penalty for the unquestionable high shot on Johnathon Thurston. But because an Origin match is worth 200 points, he would have been free to play next Wednesday night.
Had he been charged with a more serious grading, then he might still be facing suspension. The penalty could then be applied to his next game for the Sharks, which is also fairer because he was wearing a black, white and blue jersey when the tackle went awry.
Gallen not robbed this time
Blues skipper Paul Gallen is a light sleeper at the best of times, but a power outage in the Shire on Monday night did him no favours heading into camp for Origin II.
Gallen was convinced his home was about to be robbed when the lights went out as he tried to get some much-deserved shut-eye following Cronulla's epic win over the Cowboys. He leapt out of bed, ran outside and was searching for potential threats in the front yard with a flashlight. There were none to be found; leaving the weary captain with little time to rest his bones ahead of his final Origin appearance in Queensland.
Sharks teammate James Maloney also has reasons to remember this camp - it coincided with his 30th birthday yesterday. Blues staffers purchased him a cheesecake, but the real celebrations will have to wait until after the season when Maloney and his mates take a trip to Hong Kong.