Looks like Smith will reach his 50
THE milestones keep coming for record-setting Cameron Smith, with the likely future Immortal set to chalk up his 50th Test for Australia.
Weeks after becoming the most prolific winner in premiership history, Smith will lead the Kangaroos out for a 27th time in tomorrow week’s one-off trans-Tasman Test against New Zealand in Canberra.
Only Darren Lockyer, with 59 matches for his country and 38 as skipper, remains in front of Smith, who will also match the legendary Clive Churchill as Australia’s second-mostcapped captain.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, who set countless records during his own career, is in awe of Smith, also a 10-times Queensland State of Origin series winner and former Dally M medallist and Golden Boot recipient.
“Cameron’s incredible milestones will form a significant part of our week,” Meninga said.
“I can’t give too much away but we’ve got some big plans for Cameron.
“We’ve got the milestone jersey already. When we talk about our milestones and the value of the kangaroo and our chevron, he goes into gold (class with) 50-plus games, which is pretty special.
“There’s only one which is Darren.
“But we’ve got some other things planned.
“So it will be a significant week and a special week for him and his family.”
With no known retirement plans, Smith – who will turn 34 in June – is every chance of eclipsing Lockyer’s Australian Test record haul.
With 343 NRL games under his belt, the hooker is on track to smash Lockyer’s record 355 other, premiership matches this season.
He’s almost 34 and played just seven games in two years, but Australian coach Mal Meninga is adamant Billy Slater still has a future in international rugby league.
Meninga yesterday overlooked Slater when retaining Darius Boyd as fullback for the Kangaroos’ Anzac Test against New Zealand tomorrow week in Canberra.
But the former world player of the year remains “certainly” in the mix for a recall for this year’s World Cup if he continues impressing in his comeback from a second shoulder reconstruction.
Meninga admitted he and fellow selectors “agonised” over vaulting Slater into his first Test since 2015.
“He’s getting back to somewhere near his best form,” the coach said.
“It’s very pleasing to see him in the game ... but we felt that Darius deserves to retain his spot.
“He was man of the match in the Four Nations final at Liverpool (last November) and he’s in great form.” Selectors largely retained faith in Australia’s Four Nations champions, dropping only Canberra front-rower Shannon Boyd and losing Greg Inglis and Matt Scott through injury.
Meninga, though, placed his squad on notice that form would be paramount.
“This Test match (squad) was picked based on our loyalty and their success in the Four Nations, the way they’ve been playing at the beginning of the year as well,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean to say we’ll be true to this at the back end of the year when we get through the season.
“So they will become part of the criteria when we pick the World Cup squad at the end of the year.”