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If you were a cynical type, you’d almost think the story about the Sydney Roosters starting up a team in Los Angeles was dropped to divert attention away from whatever is going on with Brandon Smith.
The problem of what do with the erratic hooker won’t go away that easily.
Phil Gould believes Nicho Hynes needs to work on himself before he can lead the Blues to an Origin series victory.
For months, senior figures at the Roosters have wondered out loud if they made a mistake in signing Smith in December 2021.
Which is in stark contrast to how much they delighted at the time in snatching him away from Melbourne and getting under the guard of the Dolphins and Wayne Bennett.
Smith was fined $1000 earlier this week and dropped for the match against Parramatta on Saturday for failing to attend a team meeting after the shock loss to North Queensland earlier this month.
It was a sign that the Roosters had had enough. Clubs don’t just breach players for what Smith called a “complete misunderstanding” about a scheduled meeting.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson, hooker Brandon Smith and chairman Nick Politis.CREDIT:GETTY/BETHANY RAE
If the opinion of the senior players counts for anything, there’s no appetite for Smith to return any time soon.
I’ll tread carefully here because Smith has been receiving support from the club for well over a year for private matters that should remain that way.
Nevertheless, the Roosters have grown tired of his lack of discipline and the effect it’s had on his football. His ability isn’t in question, but his consistency from week to week is.
The club rolled out the red carpet to secure Smith: clandestine coffees with chairman Nick Politis, long lunches with directors, games of golf at Monash with the boys.
Roosters hooker Brandon Smith is losing the support of teammates.CREDIT:GETTY
Their pitch was mostly about Smith’s life beyond football. A Rooster for life is set up for life. Now, there are questions about whether he’ll be there beyond this season.
The Roosters rarely get it wrong, but they should have seen the trouble with Smith coming. His reputation preceded him.
Sure, he’s a knockabout. As they say, he’s a character who goes by the nickname ‘Cheese’. He’s easy to like and laugh at. But you didn’t have to be Columbo to know he could be a handful.
There were concerns from the moment he was linked to the Roosters about how he’d handle the bright lights of Sydney instead of the relative anonymity of Melbourne.
Say Cheese: Brandon Smith was a fan favourite in Melbourne.CREDIT:NRL PHOTOS
Part of Melbourne’s pitch to keep him was very much along those lines. The other part was coach Craig Bellamy and his special ability to allow extroverts to be themselves but not a disruption to his team.
Some at the Roosters are floating the idea that Melbourne had “hidden” Smith’s behavioural problems from them. The Storm confirmed that nobody from the club had phoned them in the name of due diligence, which surprises considering they were signing a player on a deal worth upwards of $900,000 a season because of the ratchet clause that kicks in due to the salary cap increase.
You can’t help but wonder how Bennett is viewing this from afar.
Smith met with him at Redcliffe Leagues Club midway through 2021. When reporters approached for comment, Smith dismissed his presence there with a funny grab: “I was just playing the pokies”.
He agreed to terms with the Dolphins on a deal worth $900,000 a season, only to fall for the Roosters’ charm offensive. The popular Sam Verrills was moved to the Gold Coast to fit Smith into the Roosters’ salary cap, while Bennett is still waiting for Smith to call and explain what happened.
The Roosters now find themselves in an invidious position: they have an underperforming and unreliable player, who his teammates aren’t thrilled about playing alongside, taking up a sizeable chunk of their salary cap until the end of next season.
It’s unlikely another club will want to take him unless the Roosters pay a significant part of his contract.
The best solution would be for Smith to regain the focus that saw him play the best football towards the end of last season as the Roosters surged into the finals. So far this year, it’s been bursts of 20 minutes here and there. He seems to run out of gas faster than any other forward.
Roosters officials were angry about Smith discussing his breach in length on The Bye Round podcast earlier this week, although he sounded like a player who knew he’d pushed things too far.
“I think you get three breaches [before being sacked],” Smith said. “It’s a warning but also a fine. If I get that second breach, I pay that fine. But you don’t want a second breach …”
Smith, Politis and coach Trent Robinson declined requests for comment.
Cotter honours late uncle
The problem of what do with the erratic hooker won’t go away that easily.
Phil Gould believes Nicho Hynes needs to work on himself before he can lead the Blues to an Origin series victory.
For months, senior figures at the Roosters have wondered out loud if they made a mistake in signing Smith in December 2021.
Which is in stark contrast to how much they delighted at the time in snatching him away from Melbourne and getting under the guard of the Dolphins and Wayne Bennett.
Smith was fined $1000 earlier this week and dropped for the match against Parramatta on Saturday for failing to attend a team meeting after the shock loss to North Queensland earlier this month.
It was a sign that the Roosters had had enough. Clubs don’t just breach players for what Smith called a “complete misunderstanding” about a scheduled meeting.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson, hooker Brandon Smith and chairman Nick Politis.CREDIT:GETTY/BETHANY RAE
If the opinion of the senior players counts for anything, there’s no appetite for Smith to return any time soon.
I’ll tread carefully here because Smith has been receiving support from the club for well over a year for private matters that should remain that way.
Nevertheless, the Roosters have grown tired of his lack of discipline and the effect it’s had on his football. His ability isn’t in question, but his consistency from week to week is.
The club rolled out the red carpet to secure Smith: clandestine coffees with chairman Nick Politis, long lunches with directors, games of golf at Monash with the boys.
Roosters hooker Brandon Smith is losing the support of teammates.CREDIT:GETTY
Their pitch was mostly about Smith’s life beyond football. A Rooster for life is set up for life. Now, there are questions about whether he’ll be there beyond this season.
The Roosters rarely get it wrong, but they should have seen the trouble with Smith coming. His reputation preceded him.
Sure, he’s a knockabout. As they say, he’s a character who goes by the nickname ‘Cheese’. He’s easy to like and laugh at. But you didn’t have to be Columbo to know he could be a handful.
There were concerns from the moment he was linked to the Roosters about how he’d handle the bright lights of Sydney instead of the relative anonymity of Melbourne.
Say Cheese: Brandon Smith was a fan favourite in Melbourne.CREDIT:NRL PHOTOS
Part of Melbourne’s pitch to keep him was very much along those lines. The other part was coach Craig Bellamy and his special ability to allow extroverts to be themselves but not a disruption to his team.
Some at the Roosters are floating the idea that Melbourne had “hidden” Smith’s behavioural problems from them. The Storm confirmed that nobody from the club had phoned them in the name of due diligence, which surprises considering they were signing a player on a deal worth upwards of $900,000 a season because of the ratchet clause that kicks in due to the salary cap increase.
You can’t help but wonder how Bennett is viewing this from afar.
Smith met with him at Redcliffe Leagues Club midway through 2021. When reporters approached for comment, Smith dismissed his presence there with a funny grab: “I was just playing the pokies”.
He agreed to terms with the Dolphins on a deal worth $900,000 a season, only to fall for the Roosters’ charm offensive. The popular Sam Verrills was moved to the Gold Coast to fit Smith into the Roosters’ salary cap, while Bennett is still waiting for Smith to call and explain what happened.
The Roosters now find themselves in an invidious position: they have an underperforming and unreliable player, who his teammates aren’t thrilled about playing alongside, taking up a sizeable chunk of their salary cap until the end of next season.
It’s unlikely another club will want to take him unless the Roosters pay a significant part of his contract.
The best solution would be for Smith to regain the focus that saw him play the best football towards the end of last season as the Roosters surged into the finals. So far this year, it’s been bursts of 20 minutes here and there. He seems to run out of gas faster than any other forward.
Roosters officials were angry about Smith discussing his breach in length on The Bye Round podcast earlier this week, although he sounded like a player who knew he’d pushed things too far.
“I think you get three breaches [before being sacked],” Smith said. “It’s a warning but also a fine. If I get that second breach, I pay that fine. But you don’t want a second breach …”
Smith, Politis and coach Trent Robinson declined requests for comment.
Cotter honours late uncle
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