STORM SHARKS
Hookers Cameron Smith and Michael Ennis symbolise the teams they play for and will go a long way to deciding tonight’s NRL grand final, writes Michael Burgess.
Cameron Smith
No player in the NRL has come to define their team more than Cameron Smith.
Now in his 15th season at the Storm, Smith epitomises the Melbourne franchise. He’s smart, ultra-professional and highly skilled. He rarely makes mistakes, is a ruthless competitor and plays to the edge of the rules, but is usually clever enough to avoid heavy sanction.
Smith is — surely — the best hooker in the history of the sport. The 33-year-old is also one of the most influential players league has ever seen, the single greatest reason for the dominance of the Storm, Queensland and Kangaroos over the last decade. He’s the allAustralian boy, a media darling and the ultimate diplomat.
But Smith also has a dark side. A bit like Richie McCaw, the rules seem to change when he is on the field.
Look back at last week’s game against the Raiders — there’s Smith midway through the second half, a swinging arm connecting with Joseph Tapine’s head. The Canberra second-rower leaves the field concussed, while Smith’s act goes unpunished by officials and barely noted by television commentators.
Earlier in the first half, as he rushes in to celebrate Cooper Cronk’s try, Smith’s knee slams into the back of Jarrod Croker’s knee. Accident? Maybe, but everyone in the stadium knew the Raiders’ captain was carrying a serious knee injury. There were other instances of holding down in the ruck, or hanging on to a tackler to push for a penalty.
He’s been at the helm of a Storm side who will always be admired but never loved due to their questionable tactics. Sure, they have rewritten the defensive playbook and refined tactical kicking to an art form, but the Storm have also introduced the grapple tackle, the ‘chicken wing’, wrestling in the ruck and numerous other blights on the sport.
If that’s the sour side, the sweet part is Smith’s game management, his ice-cool temperament under pressure, his strategic appreciation and the ability to think several plays ahead.
Smith has also stayed at the top for a remarkably long period, managing several different generations of Storm cubs to success, and even pre-dates coach Craig Bellamy. Smith played his first NRL match in 2002, made his Origin debut a year later and was an Australian regular by 2006. He’s played 334 first grade games (winning almost 70 per cent), won 10 Origin series and was undefeated for almost four years as Australian captain.
Today will be his sixth grand final in the space of a decade and the Storm have been close to a couple more. Smith is the ultimate modern- day footballer: the slightlybuilt hooker may have what has been described as the body of an accountant (1.85m, 92 kg) but he has the brain of a chess master and ruthless streak of a UFC fighter.
Michael Ennis
Whatever you might t hink of Michael Ennis, you have to admire him. He i s one of t he most reviled players i n t he game but has made t he most of his t alents. Ennis, who will be at t he forefront of t he Sharks’ effort i n today’s grand f i nal, i s not particularly quick or athletic . He doesn’t have a bi g sidestep, a swerve, or a bullet pass. He’s al so on t he small side for a No 9 at 1 .78m and 87kg.
He’s got no real r i ght to be massively successful in t he NRL but he’s found a way to be ef fective, across f ive clubs, 272 games and 14 seasons.
Ennis looked on t he scrap heap a few years ago, when t he Bulldogs dispensed with his services for a younger model. But he has rei nvented himself at t he Sharks, spearheading t heir r i se f rom 2014 wooden spooners to t he grand f i nal.
Cronulla has been a perfect f it for t he 32-year- old . It ’s a team f ull of tough nuts, l i ke Luke Lewis, Paul Gallen, Wade Graham and Andrew Fi f it a, who rely as much on i ntimidation as i nventiveness. They’ve become popular i n 2016 — with most neutrals willin g t he fa i r ytale as t hey attempt to break a 50-year duck — but i n any other sit uation t heir gri nding , grit t y approach would win few admirers.
Ennis is t he arch vil l ai n at Shark Park. He’s a niggly player who t akes gamesmanship to new levels, willi ng to do anything to get an advantage. Throughout his career he’s been one of t he most penalised players in t he NRL and he’s an expert at getti ng under t he skin of opponents and disrupting t heir focus, i nfamously patti ng Cameron Smith on t he head after t he Storm hooker made a crucial error i n an el i mination f i nal match i n 2014 .
“That ’s just Mickey,” said Smith on Thursday at t he off icia l grand f i nal press conference. “That ’s part of t he role he plays i n t he teams he plays for. I ’ ve played many games against Mick. He’s a competitor. He t r ie s to do t he best for his team and t hat ’s to win.”
Ennis al so doesn’t do humble. After scooting over f rom dummy half against t he Warriors t his year, he celebrated l i ke it was t he tr y of t he season, r unning wildly around t he i n- goal area and t hen t aking sel f ie s with t he Sharks fans in t he grandstand.
But he deserves our grudging respect. After t i me with t he Knights and Dragons, Ennis made an i mpact at t he Broncos between 2006 and 2008, alt hough i njury disrupted his t i me at Brisbane. He was part of a fearsome Bulldogs pack for si x seasons and dislodged Robbie Farah to represent NSW on ei ght occasions.
He’s a whole-hearted competitor with, in t r ue Aussie parlance, a heart t he si ze of Ayers Rock, and it ’s no accident t he Sharks’ r i se over t he l ast t wo seasons has coincided with his arrival in t he Shire.
Ennis plays his l ast NRL match today and, l i ke Royce Si mmons 2 5 years ago, hopes to go out a happy hooker on t he bi ggest sta ge of al l . It might be an unlikely prospect, but Ennis will be f i ghting t he odds, l i ke he has done his whole career.