A new level of maturity and a contentedness with life away from footy has Warriors halfback Tanah Boyd ready to tackle the challenges ahead for him and his team with finals approaching.
After regaining their footing in the top four with a 32-18 win over his former side the Titans, Boyd said the team were aiming to build momentum, with the ultimate aim of delivering a premiership to New Zealand.
“We just want to keep building confidence and keep momentum going,” Boyd said ahead of this week’s match against the Eels.
“We have plenty to work on too, so we'll get better.
“(We want to) really lock in and iron out a few things. There's always going to be things we want to fix up each week, big picture stuff... we want to try and nail the things that we want to work on and keep building momentum into the finals."
All Tries – Titans v Warriors
Since coming into the side for the injured Luke Metcalf in Round 19, Boyd has struck up a strong combination with five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita, the pair earning praise from coach Andrew Webster for getting the team across the line against the Titans.
For Boyd, the belief instilled in him by the coach and by the systems in place at the club – where the NSW Cup team have already secured the minor premiership – has helped him both mentally and on the field.
“Webby keeps things pretty simple and we have just got to nail our individual roles and that's all I really need to focus on," Boyd said.
“He just narrows it down for me and just keeps things simple and gives me a little bits of work on it each week.
“I just got to go out and nail it and it doesn't put pressure on me.
“It just allows me to play my game and it's working.
“I'm just comfortable and enjoying my footy again … I'm loving it.
“It's a great culture, great club, everyone's rowing in the same direction as we like to say.
“The Cup team are going so well and they challenge us at training every day and that's a big reason why we can get results.
“We're training against the best Cup team in the comp, so it's always handy, a good test every day. It's a good environment.”
First look: Warriors v Eels
Away from the football field, Boyd and partner Jacqueline welcomed their first child in September last year. Ardie’s arrival has helped keep things in perspective after finding he could get caught up in the noise associated with the NRL in the earlier stages of his career.
“It's always good to get home … having the young one at home and I can just completely switch off the footy and just worry about being a dad,” Boyd said.
“When I get to work, I'm fully locked in and it's making it easier and it's making my head clearer.
“I don't look into that stuff anymore (external pressure and expectation) … I used to, but I've kind of got that out of my game and I'm loving my footy at the moment."
Match: Warriors v Eels
Round 26 -
home Team
Warriors
4th Position
away Team
Eels
12th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
