Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold has resorted to a quirky analogy to defend under-fire captain Darius Boyd ahead of his side's clash with Wests Tigers.
Boyd has copped plenty of heat for the NRL side's slow start this season, with critics questioning his longevity in the No.1 jersey after one defensive lapse in particular against the Roosters last week.
Seibold admitted the veteran had work to do but brushed aside any suggestions that he should be dethroned as captain or fullback.
"Darius wasn't at his best last week, he'll be the first to tell you that," he said.
"But two weeks ago against the Cowboys he was fantastic.
"Sometimes you're swimming in a pot of honey and sometimes you're swimming in a pool of s**t."
Critics have lined up to pummel the Broncos following their 1-3 start to 2019, with Gorden Tallis and Justin Hodges questioning the attitude of the current crop and Trevor Gillmeister suggesting a change of leadership would take the pressure off 31-year-old Boyd.
But Seibold isn't listening as he tries to keep things in perspective in his first year at Red Hill.
"If I get caught up in all the commentary and media then I'm not doing my job," he said.
"Trevor's got to understand that he's working for Gold Coast (Titans as a defence coach) so it's hard to make comments about other (clubs). I love The Axe (Gillmeister) too, but I haven't read any of the comments, so not sure what it's about."
Seibold admitted Brisbane had made life difficult for themselves with constant errors in the opening month, particularly from their backline.
"We had 12 errors in our back five last week, but you know what, we've taken a breath, reset and had a really strong week of training," Seibold said.
Given that, Seibold expected the Tigers - coached by Michael Maguire, his former Canberra teammate in the 1990s - to test them there on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press
