Darius Boyd admits it is daunting to think of the legendary names that have preceded him as Brisbane captain and concedes he is still getting used to his new role.
Boyd was announced as the new Broncos skipper earlier this month following in the footsteps of Queensland royalty such as Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer and Allan Langer.
The 29-year-old has never captained at any level and baulked at the prospect when it was first broached by Wayne Bennett last year.
But he said he will have a huge sense of pride when he leads the Broncos out for the first time against Warrington on Saturday (Sunday 0630 AEDT).
"When I did the press conference I realised the enormity of it and became a bit overwhelmed by it all," Boyd told AAP.
"But I feel hugely honoured and proud to have been given the job
"I've been lucky to see how some of the great ones have done it.
"But I am not going to change what I do. I don't say a lot. I talk when something needs to be said. I'll lead by actions."
Talking freely wasn't Boyd's strong point earlier in his career and he developed a disdain for the media which came to a head in an infamous TV press conference that was abruptly aborted after he gave a series of one-word answers.
Boyd acknowledged that his well-documented battles with depression, including a stint in rehab, helped him mature and he feels much more comfortable in his own skin than he did earlier in his career.
"It's a big job to get first up, I've never captained anyone before," he said.
"Wayne asked me a while ago what I thought about it and I wrestled with it in my head for a while.
"It's a massive job and a big ask and I didn't think my head was in the right place to do it. But I feel I'm ready now."
Boyd succeeds Corey Parker as captain after being preferred to established international and Queensland teammates Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillett in addition to Broncos stalwarts Andrew McCullough and Alex Glenn.
However, he said he will be looking to all of them for assistance as he gets to grips with the job of becoming the face of one of the biggest teams in Australia.
"To be honest, even now there are parts of the job that don't come naturally to me but I'll do the best I can," he said.
"But I'm lucky, I have guys like Sammy, Gillo and Macca to turn to and I won't have any hesitation to leaning on them when I need them."
Share
