All Black Richie McCaw helped Melbourne captain Cameron Smith deal with haters
As a serial winner and polarising figure himself, the All Blacks legend was well-placed to guide the Storm captain through a tough time.
For all the praise that has been showered on Cameron Smith, there has been smatterings of criticism and on Wednesday his father Wayne provided an insight into the personal pain it has caused and the part All Blacks legend Richie McCaw has played in helping his son put it behind him.
Smith, who is preparing for what is likely to be his last game of rugby league, is widely regarded as the greatest player of his generation. He has also been one of its most polarising as supporters of rival clubs and sections of the Sydney media lay siege at his legacy.
Smith appears to brush the criticism away, although Wayne insists he feels it as much as anybody.
“Before he is Cameron Smith the rugby league player, he is my son,” Wayne Smith said.
“I put it into perspective too. The people who say it, Cam has probably broken their heart so many times whether it is their club team or the state.
“That is where it comes from. It hurts because I know that is not him. Cam knows reputations can be enhanced or damaged by word. But who you are as a character cannot be damaged. People who know him, know that what they write is not right. We know him and the people who do know him, know he is a decent human.
“He pushes the barriers, absolutely he does. That is what winners do. Even to the point last year when they were really giving it to him, Richie McCaw spoke to him.
“He said don’t worry about it, they did the same to him. Richie just said, ‘keep your head down and keep doing what you do’.”
McCaw has been a regular in the Storm camp in recent years thanks to his association with the club’s part-owner and former chairman Bart Campbell.
Campbell once managed McCaw and fellow All Blacks superstar Dan Carter. Three years ago, McCaw joined the Storm in camp in the lead-up to their grand final qualifier against the Brisbane Broncos.
McCaw attended the captain’s run and addressed the team before enjoying lunch with the players. Last year, he presented backrower Kenny Bromwich with his jersey for his 150th game in the lead-up to the preliminary final.
McCaw was a God-like figure among All Blacks supporters but reviled by fans of their opponents for the way he pushed the boundaries. Both he and Smith are serial winners as well, which tends to grate on the players and fans they leave devastated.
McCaw declined to discuss the details of his conversation with Smith, wanting to keep it private. No doubt he would have told the Storm skipper to be true to himself and not change his ways.
He hasn’t. The result is another grand final, the Storm and Smith’s fourth in five years. He has done it his way despite the backlash that has occasionally followed.
There are some who believe it will affect his legacy. Wayne hopes not. He hopes that people will recognise his son for what it is – maybe the greatest player who has ever laced on a boot.
“I hope that but I am not hopeful of it simply because people are swayed by influencers,” Wayne said.
“That is the way it is. That is society today. That ’s what people do. They don’t worry about yesterday and they don’t care about tomorrow – it is the now.
“What drives Cam and has always is that he never wants to let anyone down, his teammates especially. He doesn’t want anyone to say to him you didn’t have a dig today mate.
“That is what drives him, that he came off that field and didn’t leave anything out here. Not just for him, but for his teammates.”
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