Darius Boyd

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Darius Boyd
Boyd while playing for the Knights in 2012
Personal information
Nickname Darbs[1][2]
Born (1987-07-17) 17 July 1987
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
Playing information
Position Fullback, Wing, Centre, Five-eighth
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2006–2008 Brisbane Broncos 73 31 0 0 124
2009–2011 St. George Illawarra 69 13 0 0 52
2012– Newcastle Knights 48 14 0 0 56
Total 190 58 0 0 232
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008–2013 Queensland 17 12 0 0 48
2008–2013 Australia 16 13 0 0 52
2012 Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 0 0 0
As of 16 June 2013
Source: RLP

Darius Boyd (born on 17 July 1987) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos with whom he won the 2006 NRL Grand Final[3] and the St. George Illawarra Dragons with whom he won the 2010 NRL Grand Final. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative, Boyd primarily plays fullback, wing and centre but can fill in at five-eighth.

Early life

Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Boyd was mostly raised by his grandmother, after his parents had marital problems in his early life.[4] He played his junior football for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks before playing for his school, Palm Beach Currumbin High School. In 2005, while playing for Palm Beach Currumbin, Boyd was selected at fullback for the Australian Schoolboys team.[5][6] He then debuted for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

Brisbane Broncos

After playing for Burleigh, Boyd was signed by the Brisbane Broncos. In Round 1 of the 2006 NRL season he made his NRL debut for the Broncos against the North Queensland Cowboys.[7] He scored a try on debut. Playing on the wing for the majority of the season, Boyd got a chance at his preferred position of fullback for a number of games after regular fullback Karmichael Hunt went down with injuries. At the end of the regular season, Boyd won the Broncos' Rookie of the Year award.[citation needed]. He played on the wing for the Broncos in their 2006 NRL Grand Final win over the Melbourne Storm. As 2006 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos travelled to England to face 2006 Super League champions, St Helens RLFC in the 2007 World Club Challenge. Boyd played on the wing and scored a try in the Broncos' 14-18 loss.

Boyd while playing for the Broncos in 2008
Boyd made a strong start to the 2008 season by scoring a hat-trick in Round 1 and started to receive attention from other clubs as he was off-contract at the end of the year. There was speculation that he would move to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs alongside fellow Broncos Michael Ennis and Ben Hannant,[8] or possibly the St. George Illawarra Dragons following his coach at Brisbane, Wayne Bennett. After leading the NRL try-scoring table for most of the first half of the season, Boyd was selected for the Queensland team to play New South Wales in Game 2 of the 2008 State of Origin series due to teammate Justin Hodges' suspension.[9] He scored 2 tries on debut, both from passes from centre Greg Inglis, with Queensland winning 30-0.[4] He was also selected for Game 3. On 20 August 2008, Boyd signed a 3-year contract with the St. George Illawarra Dragons starting in 2009,[10] following teammate Nick Emmett and coach Wayne Bennett to the Dragons. On 16 October 2008, Boyd was called up to the Australian 2008 World Cup squad due to teammate Justin Hodges being ruled out with a shoulder injury. He made his international debut against Papua New Guinea.

St. George Illawarra Dragons

Boyd was selected at fullback for the opening round of the 2009 NRL season playing for the Dragons.[11] In Round 4 he travelled to Brisbane for his, and Wayne Bennett's first match against their old club, which the Dragons won, ending the Broncos' unbeaten start to the season. On 8 May 2009, Boyd was selected for Australia in the 2009 ANZAC Test match against New Zealand, scoring a try in Australia's 38–10 win over New Zealand.[12] In April 2009, Boyd was named in the preliminary 25-man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009,[13] making the final team for Game 1 and scoring a try.[14] He went on to play the next 2 games in the series. In August 2009 Boyd's performance at a press conference in which the 22-year-old fullback delivered one-sentence responses to eight questions posed to him at a training session in Wollongong drew an apology to journalists from Dragons coach Wayne Bennett.[15]

During the 2010 NRL season, Boyd played his 100th career game in Round 5 against his former team, the Brisbane Broncos, with the Dragons winning 34-16 and Boyd being named Man of the Match. Also in that season, Boyd received the inaugural "Spirit of ANZAC Medal" as Man of the Match in the annual Club Anzac game against the Sydney Roosters.[16] Boyd played on the wing for Queensland in all three matches of the 2010 State of Origin series, scoring a try in each match to become the series' top try-scorer. Towards the end of the 2010 season, Boyd was one of the favourites for the Dally M Medal, having had a sizeable lead in Dally M points over last year's winner Jarryd Hayne and Sydney Roosters player Todd Carney when voting went behind closed doors after Round 16. He ended up finishing third, 2 points behind eventual winner Todd Carney and 1 point behind Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah. He did however take out the Dally M Fullback of the Year. Boyd played in the Dragons' 2010 NRL Grand Final win over the Sydney Roosters, the Dragons winning 32-8, and was awarded the prestigious Clive Churchill Medal as Man of the Match.[17] After the 2010 season, Boyd suggested that he may leave the Dragons if head coach Wayne Bennett did so.[18] In November 2010, Boyd played fullback for Australia in their 2010 Four Nations match against New Zealand, he scored a try. Boyd won the 2010 RLIF Fullback of the Year award in the off-season. During his first 2 seasons at the Dragons, Boyd only scored four tries, 2 in each season.

Boyd played in the Dragons' Charity Shield win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs, scoring a try while playing five-eighth. He also played in the Dragons' 2011 World Club Challenge win over the Wigan Warriors, the Dragons winning 21-15. He equalled his 2009 and 2010 efforts with a double in the Dragons' 25-16 opening round win against the Gold Coast Titans in the 2011 NRL season. On 30 March 2011, Wayne Bennett announced he would not coach the Dragons in 2012, hinting that Boyd may leave the club as well.[19][20] After Bennett signed a 4-year contract with the Newcastle Knights, Boyd was offered contracts from the Knights and the Gold Coast Titans. On 9 May 2011, the Gold Coast Titans officially withdrew their offer, leaving Boyd to decide over staying at the Dragons or following Bennett to the Knights. He eventually signed a 4-year contract with the Newcastle Knights. On 9 June 2011, Boyd signed a 4-year contract with the Newcastle Knights starting in 2012, remaining under the guidance of Wayne Bennett.[21] Boyd played in all three matches of the 2011 State of Origin series. Boyd's final game for the Dragons was against his former club, the Brisbane Broncos. He scored the try that forced golden point for the Dragons, after they were down 12-6, but the Dragons ultimately lost the match narrowly, 13-12 after his Test, State and former club captain, Darren Lockyer kicked the winning field goal. On 16 October 2011, Boyd scored 2 tries for Australia in the Test match against New Zealand at Boyd's future home ground for the Newcastle Knights, Ausgrid Stadium, Newcastle. Boyd was selected in the Australian squad for the 2011 Four Nations tournament held in the United Kingdom. He played all 4 matches, scoring 3 tries.

Newcastle Knights

Boyd was selected at fullback for the opening round of the 2012 NRL season playing for the Knights. He went on to play 22 games and scored 3 tries in his first season at the Knights. In April 2012, Boyd was selected for Australia in the 2012 ANZAC Test match against New Zealand. Boyd played on the wing for Queensland in all three matches of the 2012 State of Origin series, scoring 2 tries in Game 1 and a try in Game 3, and helping the Maroons' extend their record winning streak to seven consecutive series. At the end of the regular season, Boyd was selected at fullback in the 2012 Prime Minister's XIII team.

Boyd played for Australia on the wing and scored a try in the 2013 ANZAC Test victory against New Zealand.

Boyd played all three games of, and was the top try scorer (with 3) for, the 2013 State of Origin series in which Queensland extended their record for consecutive series victories to eight.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/uate-puts-boyd-friendship-aside-20120517-1ytsi.html
  2. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/stanley-id-love-to-fill-boyds-no1-jersey-20110407-1d6as.html?skin=text-only
  3. ↑ "Brisbane Broncos – Darius Boyd". Brisbane Broncos. Retrieved 3 June 2008. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Boyd quick to show try-scoring feats". Fox Sports. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008. 
  5. ↑ "SportingPulse Homepage for Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". SportingPulse. Retrieved 10 October 2008. 
  6. ↑ Annual Report 2005 - Australian Rugby League
  7. ↑ http://www.rleague.com//db/player/b/boyd_darius/index.php
  8. ↑ http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24189096-23214,00.html
  9. ↑ "Lockyer, Boyd in for Maroons". ABC Online. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008. 
  10. ↑ Ricketts, Steve (3 June 2008). "Broncos boss Cullen 'shocked' by Justin Hodges charge". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2008. 
  11. ↑ http://www.nrl.com/Scores/TelstraPremiership/tabid/10240/default.aspx?roundid=770&matchid=5331&defaulttab=Team%20Lists circa 13–3–09; retrieved on 27–4–09
  12. ↑ Wald, Tom (3 May 2009). "Kangaroos selectors stick by losing World Cup team for New Zealand Test". Fox Sports. Retrieved 3 May 2009. 
  13. ↑ "Queensland name preliminary State of Origin squad". Fox Sports. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009. 
  14. ↑ "South Sydney enforcer Michael Crocker called up for Maroons". Fox Sports. 26 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009. 
  15. ↑ "Wayne Bennett apologises for Darius Boyd interview". Illawarra Mercury. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2013. 
  16. ↑ abc.net.au (25 April 2010). "Dragons muscle past Roosters". ABC News. Retrieved 12 November 2011. 
  17. ↑ Chammas, Michael (4 October 2010). "2010 Clive Churchill winner Darius Boyd". Illawarra Mercury (Australia: Fairfax Media). Retrieved 4 October 2010. 
  18. ↑ "Boyd could follow Bennett out of Dragons". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 October 2010. 
  19. ↑ "Bennett, Boyd heading back to Broncos?". Television New Zealand. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
  20. ↑ http://www.nrl.com/asst-price-to-coach-dragons-after-bennett/tabid/10874/newsid/62005/default.aspx
  21. ↑ http://www.nrl.com/boyd-signs-four-year-deal-with-knights/tabid/10874/newsid/63231/default.aspx

External links

Preceded by
Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)		 Clive Churchill Medallist
2010 		Succeeded by
Glenn Stewart (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
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