Smith rises to big challenge
HE was supposed to have been sidelined for four to six weeks.
But out of his bag of tricks, Cameron Smith instead pulled four try assists and a team-high 30 tackles for his 350th game, a 40-6 win for the Storm over Manly yesterday.
It took him level with Terry Lamb on 350 premiership games, behind only Darren Lockyer (355), and gave rise to more evaluations of Smith’s career.
“He’s the GOAT (greatest of all time),’’ Johnathan Thurston said on Channel 9 earlier.
“I have never seen anyone control a game the way he does. I thought Locky was the best, but this bloke is four or five sets ahead of every team and knows how to win matches on his own.’’
The Storm and Australian captain, who played with a healing pectoral muscle injury that last weekend drew predictions he might not play until the finals started, can equal Lockyer’s mark in the last regular-season match.
In his first finals match in September, he would then hold the career games records for both premiership and State of Origin appearances.
Asked if he could break the 400-game barrier, requiring him to play until at least the 2019 season, Smith said: “I am contracted for next year and if 400 comes, so be it.
“There was a small moment just before kick-off when I took time to take it all in.’’
Smith, who ran out for the game with his three children, topped the tackle count for Melbourne once again with 30.
Playing often at second receiver instead of dummy-half, Smith threw the last pass for the Storm’s game-breaking try to Joe Stimson which blew the margin out to 18-6.
The game’s coup de grace, Smith’s grubber kick for a trailing Cooper Cronk, also carried a clue about the Storm’s meticulous preparations.