Cameron Smith’s initial reaction to hearing he’d be playing in the halves for Melbourne against Sydney Roosters is not what you’d expect from the veteran.
Despite being playing over 300 NRL games, 42 State of Origins and 56 Test matches the 37-year-old was, in the words of Storm coach Craig Bellamy, uncertain about the positional switch.
“He was a little bit nervous, which sounds strange to be quite honest for a guy that’s played how many games, to go into that position,” Bellamy said.
“But to his credit he said ‘yeah, if you think that’s best for the team, that’s what I’ll do’.”
Making his first start in the halves since 2014 due to Cameron Munster’s knee injury, Smith was steady in the role but it wasn’t until he made a late switch back to his established hooker position that the Storm came charging home.
Melbourne first overcame a 22-12 deficit to the Roosters to take the lead in the closing minutes before a Ryan Papenhuyzen field goal with less than 10 seconds on the clock took the match to golden point.
A penalty against Jake Friend in the first half of the extra period was enough to present Smith with the opportunity to secure a 27-25 win with a simple penalty goal – his 299th in the NRL.
The never-say-die nature of the win drew praise from Bellamy, especially after the team had to relocate to the Sunshine Coast for an indefinite period due to Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Bellamy said while the week had been “topsy-turvy” he also wasn’t going to let the move to Queensland become an excuse for his team.
“They haven’t moved us to the moon,” the veteran coach said.
“The Sunny Coast is obviously not a bad spot to be … we still want to make sure we prepare well.
“Having said that I think we’re going to have to make a few adjustments in our preparation, when we train and how we do it, because our routine has been tipped upside down.
“We just need to find ways to make sure that we prepare in the environment we’re in now that’s going to help us on the weekend.”