Darius Boyd accepts he may have played his last NRL game

With the 2020 NRL season on hold and no end date in sight, there is the very real possibility that many of the NRL's more experienced and ageing heads won't get the opportunity to play again.

One of these cases is former Queensland and Australian representative Darius Boyd, who announced earlier this year he would be retiring from the game at the end of the 2020 season.

However, Boyd isn't too worried about if he gets back on the park before season's end and has decided to shift his focus to the mental health impact of COVID-19.

The NRL has flagged June 1 as the earliest possible return date, but that seems more optimistic than possible. September is a more feasible resumption date but there are fears that the whole season could be lost due to the pandemic.

Boyd has done it all in the game and is ready for the next phase of life.

“It would be strange to finish this way but I’m positive about it,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“I’ve played 300 games and done so many things in the game that I never thought possible.

“I announced my retirement because I was grateful and in a positive space. That won’t really change. If I do miss out or don’t play again I’ve played over 300 games.

“I’m a positive guy who has a lot of gratitude. When you look at people losing jobs and not being able to afford their next meal, I’ve got nothing to complain about.”

Boyd is willing to play out this season for however long it takes and believes this years premier will have a different story to tell.

“It will mean more (to win the 2020 premiership than a normal season), going through such a tough time.

“Through tough times sport can really bring society together and be really special.

Boyd's want to focus on the mental health side of the coronavirus is a sign of the positive mindset the 32 year-old who has at times struggled with his own mental health battles.

Boyd stepped away from the game in 2014 to battle with a form of depression and has since become an ambassador for the NRL's State of Mind campaign and plans to work in the mental health space post football.

"I’ve been working on life-after-footy stuff and a lot of it will be in the mental health space which is something I’m passionate about, he said.

“It’s going to be needed more than ever after 2020 as a whole.

“The economy is going to be struggling, jobs will be down, it will take a while to get back to where we were before. There is going to need to be a lot of support.

“Some people are one massive hardship away from a mental breakdown. Loss of job, finances are things that trigger those instances.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of people, not just in football, that need love, support and help through really tough times.

“We’re reaching out and asking people if they’re okay. We have to lean on that and need it more than ever with so many jobs lost and the economy taking a huge hit.”

Boyd will continue to train in preparation for a potential resumption of the 2020 season.