Warriors’ Boyd into driver’s seat to face Tigers’ Luai
Jasper Bruce |
Wests Tigers are wary of Tanah Boyd as he prepares to take the wheel and drive the Warriors back on course amid their injury crisis.
Ex-Gold Coast halfback Boyd has been tasked with getting the Warriors’ top-four tilt back on track in his first game replacing Luke Metcalf, whose breakout season has been ended by a knee injury.
For his Warriors club debut, 24-year-old Boyd lines up opposite Jarome Luai as the Tigers co-captain prepares to back up from State of Origin, in Auckland on Sunday.
“The moment (Luai) walked onto the plane with the boys you could feel the lift,” said Tigers coach Benji Marshall.
“He’ll be sweet to go.”
Former premiership-winning five-eighth Marshall has a high opinion of Boyd, who has won all 13 of his games for the Warriors’ ladder-leading NSW Cup team this year.
“He’s a really solid player, really tough defensively, good kicking game, takes the line on,” said Marshall. “We’re going to have to be on.”
Warriors coach Andrew Webster chose Boyd as his halfback over Te Maire Martin to ensure the versatile Martin could remain on the bench in case of more injuries.
The Kiwi club have had to cope with the mid-game losses of Metcalf, Mitch Barnett, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in recent weeks, though the latter returns from an ankle issue this week.
Boyd last played first-grade for the Titans in September, but Webster felt comfortable giving him the “keys” to the Warriors this week.
“Every halfback’s got to have the keys. They have to. But the keys are in the way he does it. He drives the car differently (from Metcalf). That was pretty corny, wasn’t it?” the coach said with a laugh.
Webster said Boyd and Metcalf were “completely different” with the former a kick-first game manager and Metcalf noted for his electric running ability.
“(Boyd) just needs to be himself. He’s going to play a different style to what Luke does but we just want him to be himself,” Webster said.
“We just know if he does that, we’re going to be in good shape.
“We’re really confident in his ability.”
AAP
