"IT'S been an unbelievable ride,'' proud dad Chris Cordner said of his son, Boyd's storied rugby league career.
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"And he's gone out on top of his game.''
Chris, or 'Spud' as he's better known, was at the packed press conference on Monday at the SCG when Boyd announced his immediate retirement amid concerns about the effects of concussions he sustained last year.
"Mate, it was emotional,'' Chris said. "But just the way Boyd handled himself... I said to him later 'you played your best game today son.' "
Chris, who lives at Wallabi Point, was with Boyd in Sydney on his 29th birthday, the day of the opening State of Origin match in Townsville.
Boyd had been a member of the NSW team since 2013 and captained the Blues to successive series wins in 2018 and 2019. They watched NSW thrash Queensland in game one where Chris said Boyd "was like an eight-year-old kid.
"He was jumping around, cheering every try. Obviously he would have wanted to be there playing, but he was just so happy for everyone,'' he laughed.
Boyd had been struggling with the decision as to whether to retire or play on for some months, Chris said.
Naturally, his dad was among the first to know when Boyd made the call.
However, before he went public Boyd wanted to tell the Sydney Roosters "family", headed by coach Trent Robinson and chairman Nick Politis, as well as NSW coach Brad Fittler.
"Freddy (Fittler) made the point on Monday - he coached Boyd in his first NRL trial game when he was just 16. He was also his coach when he played his last match, for NSW at Adelaide last year,'' Chris said.
Injury has been a part of Boyd's life virtually since he started playing the game as a four-year-old with the Old Bar Pirates under 6s. "From his toe to his head,'' Chris said.
"He's been through a lot. But that's what he's like - that's his mindset, he pushes the pain to the side and just keeps going.'' However, the possible long-term consequences of repeated concussions was too much to just push aside, Chris added.
He said watching Boyd struggle after copping head knocks towards the back end of last season was just too much to bear.
Following his son's football career has taken Chris to the UK for the 2013 World Cup, to Perth for a State of Origin game and to a test match New Zealand where Boyd captained Australia for the first time. He was at Limerick in Ireland when Boyd made his international debut during the 2013 World Cup in freezing conditions.
His eldest son, Dane and Taree expat, Nick Berry, who now lives in Ireland, were with him
The date was poignant.
"November 9,'' Chris explained.
"That's Lanai's birthday.''
Lanai, Boyd and Dane's mum, died in 1997 from breast cancer.
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Chris said Boyd is now weighing up career options, although the Roosters have indicated he'll have a role with them. The corporate world also holds possibilities.
Now out of the NRL bubble, Chris says Boyd will have greater scope to enjoy life.
"We can have a game of golf. Stay out a bit longer when we're having tea... little things like that,'' he said.
"Like I said, it's been a great ride and Boyd's come out of it healthy. I can't ask for anything more than that.''
