Storm skipper says premiership race wide open

MELBOURNE skipper Cameron Smith says his side’s tight victory over Parramatta proves the NRL premiership is up for grabs and the Storm will need to improve to win it.

Many have said the premiership is Melbourne’s to lose but after edging the Eels 18-16, Smith said all of the remaining teams were still a strong chance. The Storm will now face either Brisbane or Penrith in a preliminary final, in a fortnight at AAMI Park, with the winner to advance to the decider. “The teams are very capable of winning,” Smith said.

“We’re not at any stage getting ahead of ourselves and we know we need to perform a lot better than we did today to give ourselves a chance to progress.” Smith set a new record for NRL games played with the Eels match his 356th and admitted the commemorations of the achievement had taken a toll on his preparation.

“I’m extremely proud of the record and what the club and NRL put together but there was a lot of things we did this week we don’t normally do,” Smith said.

“It’s nice to get a victory and get that game out of the way be- cause in a fortnight’s time we need to prepare as normal as we can.” He said he would take some time post match to reflect on his record, surpassing Brisbane great Darren Lockyer.

“Once I get home I’ll sit back, put my jemmies on and my moccasins and have a cup of tea with a couple of bickies, and I will sit back and enjoy what happened this afternoon.”