Cameron Smith leaves the Origin arena as its greatest player
SINCE State of Origin began back in 1980, there has never been a greater or more influential player than Cameron Smith, writes Phil Rothfield.
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NRL DAILY: Origin punters react to Smith bombshell
STATE of Origin will never be the same again.
No Cameron Smith almost means no-one to hate. In a nice way.
Who wants to boo Andrew McCullough or Jake Friend.
It’s like an NRL comp without Manly, everyone’s 16th favourite team.
Not since Wally Lewis retired 27 years ago has a player polarised State of Origin fans as much as the champion hooker and captain.
Worshipped north of the border but disliked by Blues fans.
Only because, like King Wally, he was such a great player.
Smith’s timing is honourable.
He could have done it last year after the World Cup and State of Origin and got the public farewells he deserved.
Yet he waited in hope that the hunger may still be there in 2018.
That his 34-year-old body could handle one more campaign.
In the end he put his family and Melbourne Storm first.
After 56 Test matches, 42 State of Origin games and four Wally Lewis medals.
A phenomenal player, a future immortal and possibly the best we’ve ever seen.
You start thinking about an all-time great Origin team of NSW and QLD players.
Cameron Smith would be the first man picked.
He was their greatest and most influential player.
To play in 11 series wins in 12 years, the last six as captain, is the proof of that.
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
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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.