Cameron Smith is happy to let others decide his NRL legacy

Melbourne captain Cameron Smith is gearing up for what could be his last game and he is happy to let others debate his legacy.

Cameron Smith during a training session at Sunshine Coast Stadium

Cameron Smith was loath to talk about his legacy on Monday as he edged towards what is likely to be his last game of rugby league. He would rather leave that discussion to others.

“People will make up their own mind about my impact on the game and the type of player I am,” Smith said.

“That is another thing I don’t concern myself with. I have been very fortunate to play for a long time in the NRL and I have been lucky enough to play in some great footy sides.

“I have played alongside some of the greatest players that have ever played the game. I have been lucky to win premierships and represent my state and represent my country.

“It is all you can ask for as a young kid wanting to be an NRL player. I have fulfilled my dream. If this is to be my last game, then that is my last game.

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“Whatever is next, I move on to that. I know I have three beautiful kids and a beautiful wife who is there. My thoughts are just about playing well this week. Whatever happens after that happens and I just move on with life.”

Smith, 37, isn’t prepared to look in the rearview mirror just yet, not with what lies on the horizon. His teammates, however, are happy to lavish praise on their skipper.

Like the rest of the rugby league world, they are in the dark about what will happen after Sunday night but they are savouring the moment all the same, cognisant that this may be the last time they share a dressing room with one of the all-time greats.

“No one knows what is going on,” second-rower Kenny Bromwich said.

“Myself, I am just soaking up everything go can. He is a calm influence on the group. His knowledge of the game is top-notch.

“His detail is second to none. I have for a few weeks just been soaking it up. Sometimes he is saying something in the sheds or in the huddle and I am looking at him like this could he the last year.”

Fellow forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona added: “If you look back at a lot of my tries, he is setting up most of them.

“He is such a professional, he is the ultimate professional. He is such a humble person as well. For a man who has done everything in the game … he is very modest and lets his actions do the talking.

“When Cameron Smith talks, everyone shuts up and listens.”

Smith was chaired off Suncorp Stadium last weekend and there is every chance the same will happen when he departs ANZ Stadium on Sunday night, potentially with another premiership ring in his possession.

He already has two and insists comparisons are a waste of time and energy. They are all special for different reasons.

“I put all my energy and thought towards my football this year and just making sure I train well during the week and I am well prepared for the team,” Smith said. “It has been really enjoyable and it has been a different year. We haven’t been in our own homes and own beds for nearly five months.”

Smith’s appearance at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night will be his fifth grand final in the past six years. This year above all others has tested the resilience of a club that has hard work in its DNA.

They have been housed on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for nearly four months, forced out of Victoria by Covid-19. They will be forced to fly into Sydney on grand final eve.

“It has been a difficult year,” he said. “We have received letters throughout the last six weeks from fans and Victorians in general that don’t particular support rugby league or the Storm.

“But they are sending messages up to us saying how much they appreciate our performances on the weekend. That means a lot to us. If we were to win this one it would be special for completely different reasons given what we have had to go through this year.”