Cameron Smith slams ‘embarrassing’ Dally M Storm snub

Cameron Munster wasn’t happy with a Dally M snub on Monday but a former Storm teammate has taken it to the next level.

Cameron Smith is perplexed by the Justin Olam and Melbourne Storm snub. Photo: Getty Images

Former Melbourne Storm superstar Cameron Smith has slammed the Dally M Awards, calling the snub of his former club an “embarrassment”.

Smith knows something about winning Dally M’s as he was twice named the best player in the game with the Dally M Medal in 2006 and 2017 and was named the Hooker of the Year nine times during his career.

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The all-time leading point scorer and games record holder as the only player to play more than 400 games, Smith is assumed to be a future Immortal when he eligible.

But after the five Dally M Medal nominees were announced on Monday, Storm star Cameron Munster took to social media to slam the fact that Olam had not been invited to the Dally M Awards next Monday night after initially appearing to miss the shortlist for the centre of the year award, saying “the system needs a change, NRL”.

Fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was invited, although is unexpected to win with Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic one of the five and expected winner of the Dally M Medal, as well as Munster himself.

But Olam had reportedly not been given an invite at the time but it has since been resolved.

Olam roars after a try. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Melbourne boss Justin Rodski said it was an “administrative error” from the NRL.

“I’ve spoken to the NRL and they were very apologetic,” Rodski said on Wednesday.

“It was an administrative error so he was absolutely nominated, he was invited, as he should have been.

“He’s been a class act all season, he’s had an incredible season, he’s a quality human being, he’s a proud Papua New Guinea man and a proud Melbourne Storm player.

“I was really pleased to hear that it was a mistake.”

Munster said Olam was “easily a top three centre” and NRL Immortal Andrew Johns saying earlier in the season that Olam was the “best centre in the world”.

Olam was reportedly “embarrassed” about the fuss that had been created on his behalf but Smith said it was the NRL who should have egg on its face.

“I believe he’s been the best centre in the competition this year,” he said on SEN Radio.

“You know what I’d be doing if I was Justin Olam? I’d be telling the football manager Frank Ponissi to put a phone call through to the NRL and I’d be saying: ‘Am I going to be receiving anything? I want a heads-up now because I’m hopefully going to be preparing for a grand final’. If the answer is no, I’d just politely refuse to go.

“It’s crazy. How do you expect to be snubbed that way and expect to turn up? It’s a little bit embarrassing, it really is.

“If it has been an administration oversight, fair enough. But we need to be better than that. The Dally Ms are about the players, let’s get it right.”

Cameron Smith wasn’t happy about the Storm snub. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

But Smith wasn’t only cranky about the Olam snub.

Trbojevic and Manly teammate Daly Cherry-Evans, South Sydney’s Cody Walker, Penrith’s Nathan Cleary and the Roosters’ James Tedesco are the five finalists for the Dally M Award.

Melbourne had the second most points in an NRL season with 815 points, behind only the 2001 Parramatta Eels side who scored 839, and have been the dominant force in the NRL this year, losing only three games, twice to the Eels and once to the Panthers.

Smith said the lack of Storm players up for the top gong showed the Dally M Award needed a shake up.

“The Melbourne Storm only lost three games,” Smith said.

“There’s a whole heap of matches there where players like Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith and even Nicho Hynes should be picking up 3s and 2s.

“They’re nowhere to be seen.”

The 2021 voting process for the team of the year includes all players having their 3-2-1 votes for the Dally M player of the year award being tallied before each member of the judging panel adds an additional vote to the player they believe is the best in every position.

However it has widely been panned in the past.

Even ARLC Commission chairman Peter V’landys criticised the Dally M voting process, revealing his preferred voting system of ranking every player out of 10 for every game.

Originally published as Cameron Smith slams ‘embarrassing’ Dally M Storm snub