Storm gives skipper until 11th hour to hit milestone
MELBOURNE won’t test hooker Cameron Smith’s pectoral injury until tomorrow, giving their captain every chance to play against Manly at AAMI Park on Sunday in his 350th NRL match.
Smith had been rated almost no chance early on after suffering the injury against Canberra, but his remarkable healing powers have the Test and Queensland skipper primed for the milestone game.
“As only Cameron Smith can do, he’s recovered and he trained well with the team, although he hasn’t done any contact work,” Storm football director Frank Ponissi told SEN radio.
“On Saturday, he will do a little bit of contact work and, if he gets through that, he will play his 350th.”
Ponissi said the club had been reassured by medical ad- vice that Smith couldn’t make the small tear in his muscle worse by playing.
“If he can put up with the inconvenience and the pain, he can play,” he said.
Smith will go level with Canterbury great Terry Lamb on the 350 mark, with only Brisbane legend Darren Lockyer in front with 355 games.
Level with Sea Eagles backrower Steve Menzies, Sunday’s game would elevate Smith to rugby league’s most-capped forward. The milestone is set to be celebrated by some of the Storm’s former champions, with the 2007 team to reunite this weekend in Melbourne to celebrate 10 years since their grand-final win over Manly.
Lock Dale Finucane said the current crop wanted to do the old boys proud.
He said Manly, sitting sixth after a heavy loss last round to St George Illawarra, would mount a strong challenge.