Boyd swats off Broncos halves criticism

Brisbane skipper Darius Boyd has swatted off criticism of halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima.

Darius Boyd of the Broncos.

Broncos' Darius Boyd denies his side are ill-balanced with halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima. (AAP)

Darius Boyd has brushed off suggestions Brisbane halves Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima are too similar to challenge for an NRL title.

Heading into their NRL season opener against St George Illawarra on Thursday, one of the big questions dangling over the Bronocs is how they will adapt to the loss of halfback Ben Hunt to the Dragons.

The return of Benji Marshall to the West Tigers has further dented their halves depth with the Queensland glamour club's fate resting on the two wily playmakers.

Not since the unlikely pairing of Darren Lockyer and Shane Perry steered Brisbane to the 2006 title have the Broncos tasted victory on grand final day and Boyd said Nikorima and Milford could do the same.

Many see Brisbane as lacking an organising playmaker - a role which Hunt has filled since 2013 - and five-eighth Milford and halfback Nikorima as running halves.

However, Boyd swatted off suggestions the Broncos were ill-balanced, pointing to the pair's record together last year.

Nikorima played 13 games in the No.7 jumper in 2017, winning 11 of those matches, as well as making two starting appearances for New Zealand during the World Cup.

"It'll be pretty similar to what they did last year, Ben Hunt missed quite a few games and Kodi played 13 games at halfback last year, things won't really change," Boyd told AAP.

"They've worked really hard in the pre-season to get a bit of a game plan and what works best for us as a team.

"I'm excited to see how they go because they've played together since juniors, they're young, exciting talents."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world