Melbourne Storm star’s ‘racist’ joke pots Cameron Smith

A Storm star is raising eyebrows after a tongue-in-cheek response during a live TV interview in the euphoric scenes of his team’s huge win.

Christian Welch had the last laugh.

For one brief, whisper of a moment, Christian Welch was a bigger star than the best player on the planet right now.

Welch was a name on every commentator’s lips after his man of the match heroics in the Storm’s 40-12 thumping of Manly on Friday night.

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The Storm did what no other team has been able to do in the second half of the season in shutting down Sea Eagles superstar Tom Trbojevic, the best player on the planet right now.

In that moment, Trbojevic was jealous of Welch as he helped the Storm pull off a finals masterclass that leaves them just one win away from yet another grand final appearance.

The Queensland star was praised and mocked in equal doses as former teammate Cameron Smith and rugby league icon Andrew Johns poked fun of the Storm co-captain’s reputation for being one of the smartest footballers in the competition.

Welch was clearly in a laughing mood too and was happy to share when asked about Smith’s cheeky one-liners in his post match interview where he was awarded man of the match honours for a performance that included just his fifth NRL try.

The 27-year-old was asked to explain why Cameron Smith has bestowed him with a nickname of “Dugong”.

Welch’s response instead flipped the banter on Smith.

“They call me the ‘White Rhino’, but Smithy calls me ‘The Dugong’, probably because it’s a lesser creature,” Welch said with a grin.

“It might be a lesson. We’ve got a different hooker now so I might actually score a try or two. Cameron Smith is a bit racist, actually. He doesn’t pass to white front rowers, that’s my theory, at least. Maybe it’s because I’m not too athletic.”

Christian Welch and Justin Olam celebrate. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Welch had said last year he was hoping to shed the “Sea Cow” nickname some of his teammates were trying to make stick.

Smith’s gags weren’t even the worst ribbing Welch copped on Friday night.

“He’s too intelligent for a front rower,” Johns said in the second half. “For me, that’s a worry for a front rower, if he’s got some brains.”

Smith was left with the last laugh as he again tried to ruin Welch’s night by taking the shine off his former teammates reputation for being brainy.

Smith’s cheeky jab was a cheap shot at Welch’s well-publicised history of graduating from Harvard University after completing a professional development program in negotiation skills ahead of the 2019 season.

“Joey asked the question about him being a very intelligent man. It a bit of a myth,” Smith said.

“The story goes that he got a scholarship at one of the big universities over in the States and I believed it too until he came back one pre-season and had the Harvard gear on. He had a hoody on and the socks and all this gear and I’m thinking he must be smart.

“I bailed him up and said, ‘Tell me the truth’. He said, ‘I actually paid for my own tuition and I bought all of this merch’. So it’s a myth.”

With friends like these you don’t need enemies.