In a shock move, Anthony Seibold is set to shift two players out of key positions, in a bid to electrify Brisbane’s side.
Fullback Darius Boyd and five-eighth Anthony Milford are set to trade places, with Boyd to move into the front line of defence, and Milford set to drop back to custodian after the duo were spotted training there for the Broncos on Thursday.
Milford hasn’t played fullback since he departed the Canberra Raiders, and while Darius Boyd hasn’t played much five-eighth, his style of play suits the role.
The idea has been floated in the media for the last year, but it appears Seibold has finally listened to the calls and pulled the trigger in hopes of his side making a push for the finals.
Boyd has been one of the NRL’s most scrutinised players this year, and rightly so. The former Kangaroos and Maroons star has been criticised for his defensive efforts, or lack thereof, this season. Footage of the Broncos junior near refusing to make a tackle has become a weekly occurrence, and while some fear putting him in the defensive line will be a liability, it could prove the opposite,
Boyd will presumably defend as the third man in from the left-hand touchline, and will have Alex Glenn and Kotoni Staggs on his in and outside to help him with the tackles.
His passing game is also one of the best in the NRL, with his looping cut out passes to Corey Oates up there alongside with Kalyn Ponga’s lobs to Edrick Lee as the best in the competition. He also has Glenn on his outside, one of the better hole-runners in the side.
Milford’s speed and footwork on kick returns can really trouble the opposition, as well as the ability to pop up out the back on both sides of the field, and keep Newcastle guessing this Saturday.
It’s been reported that Boyd has been carrying hamstring injuries for a while now, a large reason why he hands off kick returns to big men Corey Oates and Jamayne Isaako, to rest his legs.
It’s a pivotal moment in an athlete’s career when he stops trusting his own body. Hence why a move to five-eighth could potentially prolong his career, allowing himself to rest at times in games.
Due to Boyd’s injury history and age, opposition clubs don’t appear particularly worried when Darius comes sniffing around the middle of the ruck, with a drop in speed the main cause.
Milford can re-inject that into the side. The threat of inside balls and similar plays around the middle third will have clubs on their toes.
It’s a bold strategy from Seibold to switch two players as elite as Boyd and Milford, but with risk can come reward, and whether or not it pays off will be for all to see at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.
Finally Milford goes to fullback. He will play well there, he definitely has the speed and running game. Obviously he now has more control, can organise a team better, pass the ball well and can be a kicking option. Darius also might benefit from this move cause he does have a good running and passing game but he doesn’t have much of a kicking game, so that’ll put a lot of pressure on your other you g half in O’Sullivan or whoever it is.
I know it’s a very left field idea but what if you could form some kind of swap deal involving Ash Taylor for McCullogh with extra compensation. Obviously Taylor is underperforming from what we know he can do and he is overrated but he still has lots of potential. The Titans would receive a QLD Dummy half with lots of experience and still a good player. You’d have to give up a little something else (George Fai or something) to make it more even. But then Brisbane gets Milford with Dearden/O’Sullivan and Taylor with Turpin as your new spine. Milford a runner, Dearden the young spark, Taylor the kicker and Turpin the worker. The Titans get to release Mitch Rein and Nathan Peats and free up cap space, they get a great QLD leader in McCullogh which will improve them on defense and another young player to play a role at the club.
I don’t like hating on players too much, but I would argue that Boyd is no longer an “elite” player. He is now one of the least effective fullbacks in the competition. The sooner his contract comes to an end, the better. I like what he brought over the years but he is now quite slow, quite tentative and really, is just another tackler in the line when the opposition are inside 20.
As a brisbane fan, I think Seibold is doing a good job of very quickly accepting the team that he is dealing with. There are a lot of players who are on the decline – and have been for quite some time. I can only hope that he has the stones to persist with Jake Turpin at hooker because the kid has the thirst – whereas McCullough has been dropping in worth for a few years.
Brisbane are a rabble right now – they are suffering from the huge shortage of truly exceptional talent in the halves / fullback positions.