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Brandon Smith's move to the Sydney Roosters was one of the biggest talking points of the year - and the enigmatic superstar has now admitted he 'underestimated' the nature of his transition from Melbourne.
The 27-year-old left the Storm after a lengthy tenure heading into 2023, signing a big-money multi-year agreement with the Tricolours, with the hopes of becoming the long-term hooker at the powerhouse club.
With the side sitting mid-table heading into Round 12 and struggling for form, Smith would suffer an untimely thumb injury, ruling him out for an extended period and leading to plenty of criticism over the merit of his acquisition.
By the time he returned, the Roosters needed to win almost every game in order to make the finals - a feat which they were able to accomplish, highlighted by an impressive performance over local rivals South Sydney in the final round.
"It was obviously a disappointing season, but not as disappointing as it could have been... We probably got lucky to make the eight and we made a good run," he said.
"It’s hard to say the season was a success – you want to win the title. I’m not making excuses, but we had a lot of injuries and I feel like it’s starting to become a thing at the Roosters… we had a few big ones.
“It was a big switch-up in lifestyle… I completely underestimated it. I didn’t realise that every paper, every week, Roosters are in there and there’s big write-ups. The scrutiny was a lot bigger, going out was obviously a lot harder.
“On the field, it was a tough one. The injury toll at the Roosters was bad and I probably had my longest stint on the sidelines of my career… that was pretty tough.
"I didn’t play well leading into that injury, so obviously I’m scrutinised before the injury. Then you get injured and everyone’s like ‘why did we sign this f*****g guy’.
"When I came back, I started putting together some performances to make myself a bit more proud. Every game was a grand final for us for the last five weeks of the year.
"It kind of takes a mental toll on you and it takes a physical toll on you. We’re working a lot harder than we need to be, people probably didn’t get rested as much as they would because we needed to win."
Smith would finish with 21 appearances for the Chooks in his first year at the club, including both of their narrow finals games, playing his best football at the back-end of the year.
With a litany of big stars at their disposal, many expected the Roosters to be an attacking force throughout the season, but the side managed less than 20 points per game on average.
“Our completion rate really didn’t help us," Smith said.
"The thing about the Roosters, we play really aggressive, so we’re trying to get points all the time. A lot of the time, when [Luke] Keary wants to shift shape… he takes his opportunities when they come and he doesn’t ever shy away.
"A lot of the errors come off the back of us trying to pull them apart too early or not in a good space on the field. It’s like an Achilles heel – sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
"If you can do that and complete and execute, it’s sweet, but we didn’t execute all year. It was a bit tough and I can’t really pinpoint anything… maybe it’s just a connection thing.
"We chopped and changed in the halves a bit, we went from Joey Manu to Sandon Smith to Sam Walker.
"I think when Sam came back, he really showed why he is the number-one seven in the team... he does stuff that no other half can do, he’s a little bit of a freaky man."
While making the finals was a great escape given their injury toll, it's no secret Trent Robinson will not allow a repeat outcome next year and has already added two big names to the roster for 2024.
Three-time premiership-winning enforcer Spencer Leniu and Knights flyer Dom Young will both join the NRL heavyweights on long-term deals, boosting their stocks out wide and in the middle.
“Spencer Leniu is a big one for me – that boy is a bulldog," Smith said.
"He’s the best bench player in the game at the moment and it will be interesting to see what role he gets.
"It depends what he wants as well, he might want to elevate his game into that starting role… but he’s definitely the best to do it off the bench.
“Dom is fast as f**k and it’s probably something we lack. I’m keen to have him on the team and he’s a big boy too. He’s good in the air and he’s still young as well."
The 27-year-old left the Storm after a lengthy tenure heading into 2023, signing a big-money multi-year agreement with the Tricolours, with the hopes of becoming the long-term hooker at the powerhouse club.
With the side sitting mid-table heading into Round 12 and struggling for form, Smith would suffer an untimely thumb injury, ruling him out for an extended period and leading to plenty of criticism over the merit of his acquisition.
By the time he returned, the Roosters needed to win almost every game in order to make the finals - a feat which they were able to accomplish, highlighted by an impressive performance over local rivals South Sydney in the final round.
"It was obviously a disappointing season, but not as disappointing as it could have been... We probably got lucky to make the eight and we made a good run," he said.
"It’s hard to say the season was a success – you want to win the title. I’m not making excuses, but we had a lot of injuries and I feel like it’s starting to become a thing at the Roosters… we had a few big ones.
“It was a big switch-up in lifestyle… I completely underestimated it. I didn’t realise that every paper, every week, Roosters are in there and there’s big write-ups. The scrutiny was a lot bigger, going out was obviously a lot harder.
“On the field, it was a tough one. The injury toll at the Roosters was bad and I probably had my longest stint on the sidelines of my career… that was pretty tough.
"I didn’t play well leading into that injury, so obviously I’m scrutinised before the injury. Then you get injured and everyone’s like ‘why did we sign this f*****g guy’.
"When I came back, I started putting together some performances to make myself a bit more proud. Every game was a grand final for us for the last five weeks of the year.
"It kind of takes a mental toll on you and it takes a physical toll on you. We’re working a lot harder than we need to be, people probably didn’t get rested as much as they would because we needed to win."
Smith would finish with 21 appearances for the Chooks in his first year at the club, including both of their narrow finals games, playing his best football at the back-end of the year.
With a litany of big stars at their disposal, many expected the Roosters to be an attacking force throughout the season, but the side managed less than 20 points per game on average.
“Our completion rate really didn’t help us," Smith said.
"The thing about the Roosters, we play really aggressive, so we’re trying to get points all the time. A lot of the time, when [Luke] Keary wants to shift shape… he takes his opportunities when they come and he doesn’t ever shy away.
"A lot of the errors come off the back of us trying to pull them apart too early or not in a good space on the field. It’s like an Achilles heel – sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
"If you can do that and complete and execute, it’s sweet, but we didn’t execute all year. It was a bit tough and I can’t really pinpoint anything… maybe it’s just a connection thing.
"We chopped and changed in the halves a bit, we went from Joey Manu to Sandon Smith to Sam Walker.
"I think when Sam came back, he really showed why he is the number-one seven in the team... he does stuff that no other half can do, he’s a little bit of a freaky man."
While making the finals was a great escape given their injury toll, it's no secret Trent Robinson will not allow a repeat outcome next year and has already added two big names to the roster for 2024.
Three-time premiership-winning enforcer Spencer Leniu and Knights flyer Dom Young will both join the NRL heavyweights on long-term deals, boosting their stocks out wide and in the middle.
“Spencer Leniu is a big one for me – that boy is a bulldog," Smith said.
"He’s the best bench player in the game at the moment and it will be interesting to see what role he gets.
"It depends what he wants as well, he might want to elevate his game into that starting role… but he’s definitely the best to do it off the bench.
“Dom is fast as f**k and it’s probably something we lack. I’m keen to have him on the team and he’s a big boy too. He’s good in the air and he’s still young as well."
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