AUSTRALIA coach Mal Meninga has expressed his concern over the current form of Brisbane skipper Darius Boyd.

The Broncos star has made a name for himself for being one of the most reliable fullbacks in the NRL, but in recent weeks errors and poor defensive reads have crept into his game.

Boyd, who remains unsigned for 2018, made just two errors in his opening 10 rounds of the season, but has gone on to make five in his past four games.

He’s also missed six tackles in his past two games — not ideal with finals and a World Cup campaign right around the corner.

Round 20

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Darius Boyd of the Broncos talks to teammates. Source: AAP

“There’s something amiss with Darius at the moment. I’m not quite sure what it is, I haven’t asked him the question yet,” Meninga told Queenslanders Only.

“He’s a player that’s ever-reliable.

“I don’t know if he’s signed on with the club yet. I’m not sure whether that comes to fruition.

“There’s something in the background that’s affecting him.

“He doesn’t make the errors that he’s making at the moment. The last two games, and certainly last week, there were a lot of errors in his game; some of his decisions, and he wasn’t running as hard as he normally does.

“When Darius isn’t playing well there’s obviously something off field that might be affecting him. It could be his contract I’m not quite sure.

“It’s round 26. They’ve got Jack Bird, they’ve signed Anthony Milford up to big dollars, most of the players that they want are staying and they’ve released quite a few as well, so it’s just strange.”

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While Boyd is likely to remain at Red Hill beyond 2017, his former Queensland and Brisbane teammate Justin Hodges believed his form could stem from ongoing contract negotiations.

“You’re going out there putting your body on the line, you’ve got a wife and kids at home and you’ve got to put food on the table, you’ve got a house, all that stuff, it does weigh on you,” he said.

“If you’re unsigned and you get injured, if you’re worth $1 million before you get injured, what happens when you get injured? Your value decreases.”

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett and Darius Boyd. Source: AAP

Injured South Sydney skipper Greg Inglis also provided an insight into a player’s mindset throughout contract talks and the pressure that comes with them.

“It sits in the back of your mind,” Inglis said.

“When your year’s coming up or you’re thinking about what you’re going to do for your future and family, it plays on your mind and it clouds your judgment just a tiny bit. That can have an affect on your football even if you don’t think it does.

“As a player when you go through it, you think there’s nothing to do with it, but when you come out the other end of it and you look back on it, you go ‘actually, it did have an affect on the way I played and the way I was at training’.”