By MICHAEL BYRNES
CAMERON Smith might be the most polarising figure in rugby league. Revered north of the border for his faultless and artful guidance of the Maroons throughout their devastating era of State of Origin dominance and reviled with equal fervour by southerners who see him as nothing more than a cunning and two-faced.
However, regardless of one’s personal perspective on the matter, with the Melbourne Storm’s 28-6 demolition of Penrith in round five, Cam Smith became the most successful club footballer in the history of the game, eclipsing Darren Lockyer’s previous record for most career wins.
Yet it was Smith’s description of these events in the post-match press conference which may have raised a few eyebrows among those with a less favourable view of the Australia skipper. Smith started by saying that personal honours weren’t of much concern to him:
“You don’t really sort of think about milestones or records too much. It’s more about your focus on your job each week.”
Possibly concerned that this comment might have come across as somewhat of a sporting cliché, Cameron went on to explain that:
“I didn’t really know until last week when we beat the Wests Tigers and someone mentioned to me that I equalled Locky’s winning record.”
That may very well have been the truth. Yet, if it was, Smith managed to catch himself up pretty quickly in the ensuing week on where things stood with that particular statistical category. In his very next breath, he announced that:
“I think it’s a special night for our footy club. We’ve only been around 20 years, and we’ve got three players in the top 10 for most wins ever. The competition’s 110 years old, there’s a few clubs that are 110 years old, and we’ve got the most players in the top 10. It’s a pretty special effort from our organisation.”
Now maybe those introductory comments were made with typical Queensland modesty. Perhaps it was important for the playing group to acknowledge the significant individual and club achievements that night, and perhaps Smith was conscious not to come across as conceited. For the vast majority of NRL fans, as with all things Cameron Smith, your view is probably determined by which side of the border ranges you hail from.
