Cameron Smith becomes rugby league’s highest ever pointscorer
Storm champion Cameron Smith has celebrated another special milestone by surpassing Canterbury sharpshooter Hazem El Masri (2418) as the greatest pointscorer in rugby league’s 111-year history.
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He is already the most-capped player in NRL history. Now Cameron Smith is the NRL’s pointscoring king.
The 389-game Storm champion on Friday night celebrated another special milestone when he surpassed Canterbury sharpshooter Hazem El Masri (2418) as the greatest pointscorer in rugby league’s 111-year history.
Entering the clash against the Cowboys with 2416 points, Smith made history in the 47th minute, snapping a penalty goal to help kick the Storm to a hard-fought 18-12 win at 1300SMILES Stadium.
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As the ball sailed between the posts, the crowd applauded warmly before two of Smith’s three children, Jada and Jasper, ran onto the field to hug their 35-year-old father.
It was a beautiful moment for the code and a fitting snapshot of the family man who grew up in Brisbane’s blue-collar belt of Logan dreaming of nothing but a career as a professional rugby league player.
The former Maroons skipper finished the match with 2422 points (43 tries, 1123 goals and four field goals) and he will surge past the 2500-mark with Smith contracted to the Storm until the end of 2020.
“It’s a very special moment, Smith said.
“Who would have thought a slow, skinny dummy-half would get a pointscoring record.
“It’s a bit surreal. I feel very humbled to go past some of the greats of our games like Hazem El Masri and Andrew Johns.
“It would have been great to do it in Melbourne but it’s nice to be able to achieve this in my home state in Queensland.”
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg was on hand to recognise the record and succinctly summed up Smith’s remarkable haul, saying: “It’s a record that may never be beaten.”
More records are on the horizon for Smith, who is on track this season to become the first man in rugby league history to play 400 premiership games.
Originally published as Cameron Smith becomes rugby league’s highest ever pointscorer
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