Brisbane will rally around recovering skipper Darius Boyd as he mourns the loss of his beloved grandmother, just days ahead of his scheduled return from injury in Friday night’s NRL preliminary final against Melbourne.
But Broncos forward Sam Thaiday is confident Boyd will be ready to fire in the grand-final qualifier at AAMI Park after being sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring strain.
“It’s a tough time for Darius. All of us will gather around him the next couple of days,” he said.
“It’s very hard when you don’t have a lot of family but this is a big part of his family, this Broncos team.”
Boyd’s grandmother Delphine had raised the Broncos’ skipper since he was 15.
Boyd’s wife Kayla shared a tribute to his grandmother on social media.
“Rest in Peace Nana Boyd,” she posted with a pic of Boyd with his grandmother and his one-year-old daughter Willow.
Boyd missed training on Monday but moved freely when he returned on Tuesday to the Broncos.
Thaiday said with help from his teammates, Boyd would run out at his best against the Storm.
“He will be there for sure,” he said.
“He has been sitting back the last couple of weeks itching to get back on the field.
“I know he will be giving everything come Friday night.”
Apart from Boyd, Thaiday, Jai Arrow (both concussion) and impact bench forward Tevita Pangai (hamstring) are also set to return against minor premiers Melbourne.
“Darbs brings a lot of experience, especially in our defensive line,” Brisbane back-rower Alex Glenn said.
“He also adds that attacking option out the back – he will add to our strike big time.”
Boyd’s return will ensure Bennett has to make a tough call on his halfback.
He must choose between retaining incumbent No.7 Benji Marshall or relegating him to the bench and replacing him with Boyd’s fullback fill-in Kodi Nikorima.
Glenn said Nikorima’s wonderful display at No.1 last week against Penrith showed Brisbane could cover for Boyd another week if the captain didn’t get up.
“He knows his job. He’s focused. He knows what he needs to do wherever he plays,” Glenn said of Nikorima.
Brisbane will name their team on Tuesday at 4pm.
