Tanah Boyd could keep $1 million man Ash Taylor out of the Titans halves, legendary playmaker Darren Lockyer says, with Taylor now fighting for his NRL career.
Boyd, on a fraction of Taylor's salary, filled Gold Coast's five-eighth position for Saturday's win over Wests Tigers. Taylor was omitted due to a combination of form and injury, with the maligned playmaker still battling the after-effects of off-season hip surgery.
Boyd scored a try and made a try assist in a 36-28 defeat of the Tigers, which ended a three-game losing streak and pushed the Titans into seventh spot (4-5). He is well regarded at Gold Coast and unlike Taylor, is contracted for next season.
"When you see that you're winning with a particular combination, it's hard to change that," Lockyer said on Wide World of Sports' QLDER.
"I think Ash has played some of his better football this year. He's been very good in defence.
"But I think based on the results, I think it'd be hard to leave Tanah out."
Immortal Wally Lewis said that Holbrook may lean towards Taylor, as his original No.1 choice, but Boyd had forced him into a difficult call as to who would partner halfback Jamal Fogarty.
"There's always that old saying, of course, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. A lot of coaches will work off that," Lewis said.
"It's a difficult issue. The coach is going to have a tough time making his mind up on that one."
Taylor, 26, is hoping to stay at the Titans for next season, albeit on a significantly reduced salary. The 2016 NRL Rookie of the Year has never managed to live up to his salary and Immortal Andrew Johns recently suggested that he may be best served heading to the Super League.
If Boyd, 20, proves that he's a genuine NRL-standard playmaker, then the Titans may be inclined to part ways with Taylor.
Like Taylor, Boyd was at the Broncos before being lured to the Titans. When his deal was extended by the club late last year, coach Justin Holbrook said that he was good enough to be a starting half.
"I think it is a really smart decision from our club to extend Tanah," Holbrook said.
"He's 20 years-old and I've blooded him slowly into first grade and he's done a really good job.
"Over the next couple of years, I expect him to really improve a lot and he wants to push for the halves starting position, which he will do his best for and we're confident he can get there."
Boyd has played three games this season and 18 in his NRL career.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/gold-coast-titans-halves-tanah-boyd-ash-taylor-injury/ca2c313b-7080-4e1d-84f8-87d4413073ca
0 Comments