State of Origin bombshell: Cameron Smith to retire from Queensland Maroons

IN the end, family won out over football, as Maroons skipper Cameron Smith dropped an Origin bombshell by announcing his retirement from representative football — effective immediately.

Cameron Smith celebrates a Maroons victory.

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IN the end, family won out over football, signalling the end for Queensland’s ultimate Origin ironman.

The Queensland rugby league fraternity was left with mixed feelings of shock and awe following Maroons skipper’s Cameron Smith bombshell decision to retire from representative football.

The decision is effective immediately, meaning Smith — the most capped player in Origin history with 42 appearances — has worn his beloved Queensland and Australia jumpers for the last time.

Cameron Smith in one of his virtuoso performances for Qld last year.

With the State of Origin opener at the MCG on June 6 just 21 days away, the Maroons were banking on Smith to stabilise Queensland following the representative retirements of champion duo Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk.

Now, Queensland coach Kevin Walters faces a nightmare to replace his Big Three.

The greatest void is left by Smith, who yesterday fronted a press conference in Melbourne to open up about the family heartache that drove his Origin bombshell.

“It’s been a lengthy process to come to this decision,” said the Storm, Queensland and Australia captain.

“I started having small thoughts last year. It was a big season for myself and other players who played in the World Cup at the end of the year.

“This year is the right time for me to finish up (with Queensland and Australia).

“Last year more than any other year, the Origin series had a greater effect mentally and physically on me.

“When I wasn’t playing for the Melbourne Storm one weekend, I wasn’t offering much at home as a husband and father.

“I was lying on the bed exhausted mentally and physically.

“That really took its toll on me and that was the first sign it was time to finish my rep career.”

Cameron Smith of the Maroons waves to the crowd as he celebrates victory during game two of the 2017 State of Origin at ANZ Stadium.

Smith’s father Wayne, who mentored his son as a seven-year-old at Logan Brothers, said last night: “I’m as proud now as the day Cameron was born.”

It was former Queensland coach Wayne Bennett who handed Smith his maiden Maroons jumper in the final Origin game of 2003.

Ever since, Smith has been at the coalface, spearheading the most ruthless dynasty in Origin history as the Maroons charged to 11 series wins in 12 years.

Smith’s passion for the Maroons and Australia seemed unbreakable ... until last year, when the pressures of leadership and public expectation spread its tentacles into his private life.

Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater pose with the State of Origin Trophy after Queensland’s 2017 triumph.

His childhood sweetheart wife Barbara, whom he met as teenagers growing up in Logan, and their three children — Jada, Jasper and Matilda — so often played second fiddle to the top-level demands of rugby league.

The Queensland people adored their captain but Smith needed to find more time for his loved ones.

“My eldest daughter is now 10 years of age and there’s things going in my kids’ lives,” he said.

“When you get your children asking why I can’t attend their sporting events ... the impact of rep footy on my family was the result of my decision.

“I did take a lot of time to come to this, but the reasons to not play on far outweighed the reasons to play on.”

Smith is the heart and soul of the Maroons and is widely regarded as the NRL’s No. 1 player. Without his services, the embattled NSW side are in the box seat to win just their second Origin crown in 13 seasons.

Walters admits the Maroons face a monumental task trying to defeat the Blues without his trio of champions Thurston, Cronk and Smith.

“It’s a big hole to fill,” he said.

“Us being Queenslanders, we’ll be in there with a fight, but it’s a massive blow for the series.”

Walters paid tribute to Smith, who also played a remarkable 56 Tests for Australia, second only to Broncos legend Darren Lockyer (59).

Smith’s Origin debut seems a long time ago. (Darren England)

“Watching him over the years and coaching him, he is not only a great player, but a great person,” he said.

“He has respect and humility, Cam shows that every day of his life the way he conducts himself.

“That is what I respect about Cameron. His integrity and the way he carries himself has been a tribute to him and his family who brought him up in Logan.

“I totally respect where Cam is at, I’ve been coaching Queensland for two years but he has been such a great sounding board.

“I got an inkling earlier this year with some discussions with Cam around State of Origin and I wasn’t getting the same reaction with his enthusiasm and drive.

“He won’t be there this year for us in a playing capacity which will be difficult, but we’ll get someone who can do the job for us.”

The Maroons will never be the same again.

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CAMERON SMITH’S REP CAREER

Australia

• Tests 56 (2006-17) • 33 Tests as captain (2007-17) • Tri-Nations 2006 • World Cup 2008, 2013, 2017 • Four Nations 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016 • Captained Australia to World Cup victory 2013, 2017 • Junior Kangaroos 2001, 2002

Queensland

• State of Origins 42 (2003-17) • Queensland Emerging Origin 2002-03 • Queensland Under-19s: 2001, 2002

Other information:

• Wally Lewis Medallist 2007, 2011, 2013, 2016 • Dally M Representative Player of the Year 2007, 2011, 2013 • Most State of Origin appearances — 42 • Most State of Origin wins — 24 • Most State of Origin series wins — 11 • Second most Tests for Australia — 56 • Represented NRL All Stars 2010, 2011, 2013; • World All Stars 2016


HOW SMITH’S CAREER UNFOLDED

2002

NRL debut

Cameron Smith made his NRL debut with the Melbourne Storm in 2002 where he played two games at halfback. His elevation into first grade followed a stint with Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup where he scored 188 points.

2003

Origin debut

Smith became the Storm's hooker in 2003 before getting called into the Queensland Origin team for game three of the series. The Maroons had lost the first two matches after experimenting with a number of players. Queensland settled on Smith for game three - a match they won - and Smith continued wearing the No.9 for the Maroons ever since. He was also named the Melbourne Storm's rookie of the year in 2003.

2006

More accolades

2006 was a big year for Smith. He picked up Melbourne Storm's player of the year award for a second consecutive year, represented Australia for the first time, won the Dally M medal and led the Storm to the NRL grand final. He was forced from the field with injury, a fact which the Storm's loss to Brisbane was largely attributed to.

2007

Grand final success

Success continued to come for Smith in 2007. Again named player of the year at the Storm, Smith won more Kangaroos selections and picked up a number of gongs in the State of Origin series. Melbourne faced Manly in the grand final, taking the title with a huge 34-8 victory.

2008

Smith the leader

Smith was named captain of the Melbourne Storm and also captained Queensland in the 2008 State of Origin series due to the absence of injured skipper Darren Lockyer. The year ended somewhat in tears though, with Smith being suspended for two games for a grapple tackle. The suspension saw Smith miss the grand final, a rematch against Manly from the year before. Manly beat the Storm 40-0.

2009

Records fall

Melbourne again qualified for the grand final, this time against Parramatta, and with Smith on the field they claimed back the title. In the preliminary final in which Melbourne defeated the Brisbane Broncos 40–10, he became Storm's highest ever point scorer, beating Matt Orford's record of 877.

2012

Captain Smith

Darren Lockyer's retirement at the end of 2011 saw Smith elevated to captain of club, state and country. He also captained the Storm to victory in the 2012 grand final against the Bulldogs.

2014

Origin success

Queensland might have lost the State of Origin series for the first time in nine years but a Maroons win in game three made Smith the first player in State of Origin history to win 20 matches.

2015

Legend status confirmed

Smith toppled more records in 2015, becoming Melbourne's first-ever 300-game player and equalling Darren Lockyer's record for most Origin appearances.

2017

Golden boot

Smith reached 2000 career points in a match against the New Zealand Warriors, becoming the first forward, the first Queenslander, and just the fifth player in history to have achieved the milestone. On September 9 he played his 356th match and became NRL's most capped player of all time.

2018

Winding down

It has been a mixed year for Smith. The Storm haven't been great to start the year, struggling to produce the consistency they have for more than a decade. In round four, as part of a refereeing crackdown, Smith was sin-binned for the first time in his career. On May 15 he announced his retirement from representative football.