Metcalf v Boyd v CHT

[Big Marn]

Tanah Boyd has come into first grade this season after his second offseason with Webster and it seems like a much more confident player than towards the end of last year. He was tearing it up in NSW Cup in 2025 but was a bit flakey when moved up to NRL with a good game followed by a bad game.
Its only 2 games in for 2026, but he seems to have gone to another level.
Has Webby waved his magic wand on another player?
Early days though, same as with Ford (haha).

Which begs the question. What happens when Metcalf comes back?
Does Boyd drop back to the bench as the halves cover? It seems like the easy answer but there a couple of things he does better than the other two choices that i can see.

1) His kicking in the red zone is better. Last season Metcalf was exasperating with the shallow height of his kicks not giving the players enough time to get under the ball. He got it right a few times but not often enough. A few games were bailed out by Leka magic which would have been otherwise been chalked up as losses due to red zone impotency.

2) He has a longer kick on him and is getting us out of trouble constantly when the runners arent making good yardage. He already has a 40-20 after 2 games. CHT's kicking is still not that accurate when it is 6th tackle so he would be 3rd here after Metcalf.

Kicking goals i would rank Boyd, Metcalf.......... and then CHT. Both Boyd and Metcalf miss sitters but overall i think Boyd is more reliable especially out wide. I actually think TT is the best kicker from what ive seen in his NRL attempts and NSW Cup but they dont use him.

So configuration wise, Boyd seems to be an out and out 7. Metcalf was converted to 7 last year when SJ retired and we had our doubts. He came good during the year to the extent he was leading the Dally M.

CHT would be the best of the 3 defensively, though Metcalf pulled off some trysavers in the corners last year. Boyd seems to have improved from last year though but still would be #3 on defence.

Support play Metcalf first, then CHT, then Boyd. Boyd is now showing a propensity to take the line on which is great, because it means the defence have to account for that.

So the question is, when Metcalf was SJ's foil at 6 he looked really good. Should we look at putting him at 6 again where he can rove abit more and use his speed, rather than him worry about positioning the team and kicking so much? Is Webby even considering this?

And where does that leave CHT? Can he be halves and lock cover while Healy keeps covering hooker now that we have the extended bench?
If Boyd gets injured, Metcalf moves to 7. If Metcalf gets injured, CHT goes into 6. If Boyd sits on the bench, i think we lose a lot of the kicking game that has really helped the team. I havent considered that Metcalf would be on the bench except maybe his first game back.
And if Metcalf starts ahead of Boyd, and does the majority of the kicking again, does he have a psychological doubt that his hammy could go if he gives the ball too much oomph?

I dont really have a favourite configuration and Webby is consistent with his predictability when it comes to team make up, so the expectation is Metcalf and CHT back together again. But he might shock us... for once.

Anyone else think Boyd has a chance of keeping his starting spot if he keeps playing at a high level?

edit. after posting this i came across Immortal Behaviour on youtube and they were analyzing Boyd with Joey Johns. Johns was giving him big raps, but i noticed a wee dig about only playing at home so far this season.

 

[Izz]

Anyone else think Boyd has a chance of keeping his starting spot if he keeps playing at a high level?

Yes

 

[Blair]

Webster might've had his mind made up at the start of the season, regardless of how Metcalf's replacements play out.

 

[Big Marn]

Webster might've had his mind made up at the start of the season, regardless of how Metcalf's replacements play out.

Lets hope hes not that inflexible.

When you think about it, what more could he have wanted from his 7 for these two games?

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Shit it's a hard one. Metcalf was one of the main reasons we were flying last year, and there was a measurable dropoff when he got injured.

And it's only two weeks but Boyd has played like a genuine top level 7 in the last two weeks, against teams tipped to be in the top 4. OK, at home, but playing on your home ground doesn't magically turn you into the genius Boyd has been the last two weeks.

6- Metcalf 7- Boyd ?

 

[hitro]

I was not impressed by him until now. They have PUMPED 3 good teams in 3 weeks and sit at the top of the table !!! Perhaps it's Boyd 7 Metcalf 6 CHT 14 ??? TMM back in the mix soon.Hansen is not at the same level at all

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

If this vein of form continues, Metcalf should have to work his way back via Cup. And only get his spot back if Boyd or CHT start to fade.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

If this vein of form continues, Metcalf should have to work his way back via Cup. And only get his spot back if Boyd or CHT start to fade.

I dunno, Metcalf's running game I feel might be integral. CHT is a wonderful defender and his short kicking game has improved out of sight, but he's replaceable.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

I dunno, Metcalf's running game I feel might be integral. CHT is a wonderful defender and his short kicking game has improved out of sight, but he's replaceable.

You’d swap him straight in even if CHT is playing well and were 5-0 by the time he returns (assuming it’s R6 as rumoured)?

Rough on the boys doing the job and feels tough on Metcalf straight off an ACL too. Good problem to have though.

 

[Meth]

Great problem to have, if and when the time comes when we need to make that decision. Still a lot can happen between now and then.

 

[sup42]

This is not hard lads.

Tanah Boyd is leading Nathan Cleary in head to head on every stat and Nathan is playing for an in form on fire Panthers team and will be the next RL immortal.

Boyd:----- Cleary

Points 46 ------ 36

Tries 3 ------ 1

Goals 17 ------ 16

Assists 6------- 2

Kicking meters 18,04 ------ 1,706

Dally M points 4 ------ 7


It is pretty obvious there is a hangover bias against Boyd from fan and NRL expert alike (look at those disgraceful Dally M point anomalies when Boyds stats are smashing Cleary).

We know Metcalf can play six because he is one.

We know Boyd is a 7.

CHT to 14.

No brainer, no need to gnash any teeth.

 

[sup42]

You’d swap him straight in even if CHT is playing well and were 5-0 by the time he returns (assuming it’s R6 as rumoured)?

Rough on the boys doing the job and feels tough on Metcalf straight off an ACL too. Good problem to have though.

I think we have reached the era where 'playing well and deserves are no longer as important as 'what is best for the team'.

It is a team sport, sometimes you have to have no room for sentimentality (works well for Bellamy et al, they drop good players and don't loose a wink of sleep over it).

If you are truly loyal to your club then you take the hit and either move to the bench or play NSW cup like you want to get back into the top side no matter how many dollars and fans you have behind you.

Lets not forget Boyd has earned this, he was on fire in NSW cup footy pushing hard for his shot all season last.

 

[Big Marn]

Its not like he hasnt played like this before. I remember a game for the Titans where he had the ball on a string and they pumped us off the back of him. It is just that he has been inconsistent. 3 games in a row indicates he may have gotten over that hump.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Its not like he hasnt played like this before. I remember a game for the Titans where he had the ball on a string and they pumped us off the back of him. It is just that he has been inconsistent. 3 games in a row indicates he may have gotten over that hump.

This could be Tanah's purple patch moment in his career. We must persist with it until it fades. 7. Boyd. 6. Metcalf. Boyds durability is reliable compared to Mets.

 

[JJ]

Boyd owns the 7 atm... I'd like Metcalfe at 6 and CHT at 14 tbh, but nice problem for Webby to have

Similarly, with the props - Ford's start to the season has been brilliant, and now Barnett's back, and JFH is going ok

 

[nswarrior]

Boyd 7 and Metcalf 6 seems obvious and luckily it’s a 6 man bench so CHT can be on the bench because Healy seems to do a good job at 14

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

I think we have reached the era where 'playing well and deserves are no longer as important as 'what is best for the team'.

It is a team sport, sometimes you have to have no room for sentimentality (works well for Bellamy et al, they drop good players and don't loose a wink of sleep over it).

If you are truly loyal to your club then you take the hit and either move to the bench or play NSW cup like you want to get back into the top side no matter how many dollars and fans you have behind you.

Lets not forget Boyd has earned this, he was on fire in NSW cup footy pushing hard for his shot all season last.

Saying Boyd has earned this - which I agree with - seems a little contradictory with your first statement doesn’t it?

That aside, I’m not suggesting sentimentality plays a part at all. Quite the opposite - if CHT is doing everything he’s asked to do, doing it well, and contributing to the team winning, then keeping him is simply being pragmatic. Sticking with a winning formula and all that.

I’d argue bringing back Metcalf in that situation is the more sentimental option. His pace and running game are his biggest strengths, yet he’s coming off the second ACL and third major leg injury of his career.

Expecting him to immediately hit the same level he was at last year and be better than a match-fit and in-form CHT (assuming he is still in-form of course) seems more emotion than reason based.

Roger came back solid in ‘17 after his ACL, but it wasn’t till ‘18 that we again saw the tackle and line breaking version of him.

 

[sup42]

Saying Boyd has earned this - which I agree with - seems a little contradictory with your first statement doesn’t it?

That aside, I’m not suggesting sentimentality plays a part at all. Quite the opposite - if CHT is doing everything he’s asked to do, doing it well, and contributing to the team winning, then keeping him is simply being pragmatic. Sticking with a winning formula and all that.

I’d argue bringing back Metcalf in that situation is the more sentimental option. His pace and running game are his biggest strengths, yet he’s coming off the second ACL and third major leg injury of his career.

Expecting him to immediately hit the same level he was at last year and be better than a match-fit and in-form CHT (assuming he is still in-form of course) seems more emotion than reason based.

Roger came back solid in ‘17 after his ACL, but it wasn’t till ‘18 that we again saw the tackle and line breaking version of him.

Thanks for questioning an apparent contradiction in your opening - allow me to clarify:

The problem with comparing 'earning'and 'deserving' to what is best for the team is that they are made up concepts, they do not exist in the real world, they exist in peoples heads, this is not a metric that can determine what is best for a sports team.

Ergo it is hard to argue that any one of CHT, Metcalf or Boyd have not 'earned the right' I merely pointed out if we are using that as a made up idea of who gets what then let 'what is best for the team' be the overriding principle (of course this too has subjective elements but it also lends itself to metric data and head to head comparison and statistics).

As for CHT....unfortunately he does not have the speed of Metcalf or the evasion, or the ability to seize a clutch moment week in week out and "single handily" win a game...(in as much as anything is single handed in a team sport).

Pretty clear why Metcalf was offered a million dollars to play in Australia, and why Boyd's agent will be fielding similar enquiries just now vs CHT's market interest/salary cap worth.

I think we all need to (I include myself) remember one thing, all three of these guys are likely to keep their name in the seventeen on game day, for most of us that is a dream we could only fantasize about....the thing about numbers on backs and where you are out there on the field is the icing, the cake is being a preferred first grader.

All three of these blokes should be grateful with every ounce of fibre in their being to be named in that seventeen in any position to be fair, they are being coached by one the NRL's genuine top four quality coaches and being picked by him.....that's as good as it gets

 

[JJ]

Metcalf to me is the sort of player that should come back through the reggies especially when the side is going well

 

[Matua]

Pretty clear why Metcalf was offered a million dollars to play

TBH, I don't find it clear at all. The simple facts are he was a journeyman half (mid 20s) who hit a purple patch last year before being injured. No one has any idea whether he could have continued that form even through the rest of the season, let alone through the rest of his career. He has also suffered an injury that may well reduce his key asset - his speed.

I must say good on him for cashing in when the opportunity has presented itself.