Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith

Smith playing for Melbourne in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Cameron Smith
Nickname	Cam
Born	18 June 1983 (1983-06-18) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2002–	Melbourne Storm	213	31	522	0	1168
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2003–11	Queensland	24	4	15	0	46
2006–11	Australia	23	5	22	0	64
2010–11	NRL All Stars	2	0	1	0	2
As of 21 July 2011
Source: Rugby League Project

Cameron Smith (born 18 June 1983 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative hooker, he has played his whole NRL career to date with the Storm with whom he won the 2006 Dally M Medal and the 2007 and 2009 NRL grand finals. In 2007 Smith was awarded both the Wally Lewis Medal (as the State of Origin's player of the series) and the Golden Boot award (as the world's best international player). He also shares the same birthday as fellow club, state and country teammate Billy Slater.

Playing career

As a youth smith was hooker for the Logan Brothers Junior Rugby League Club, Logan City, Queensland. There he attended Marsden State High School. After scoring 188 points for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup he moved up to the NRL with the Melbourne Storm club.

In 2003 the Queensland rugby league team were without a specialist hooker. After experimenting with different players in the position for the first two matched of the series and losing both, Smith was named at hooker for the third match (and for the next six years no other player would wear the number 9 for the Maroons until this run of 19 consecutive Origins was cut due to injury). He was named the Melbourne Storm's rookie of the year in 2003.

In 2005 Smith was named the Melbourne Storm's player of the year. The following year he first represented Australia and won the Dally M Medal. In addition he was again named the Storm's player of the year. Smith led the storm to the 2006 NRL Grand Final. While the game was still in the balance he was forced from the field with injury, which the Storm's loss has been largely attributed to.

Cam Smith on international duty with the Kangaroos in 2006

For the 2007 State of Origin series Smith took out both the Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series and Ron Mcauliffe Medal for Queensland player of the series. He was also named the Melbourne Storm player of the year.

Smith captained the Melbourne Storm in their 34–8 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles in the 2007 NRL Grand Final. hooker he is also the first-choice goal kicker for the Melbourne Storm and is left footed.

Smith became regular captain of the Melbourne Storm in 2008. Smith captained the Maroons for the entire 2008 State of Origin series due to the absence of regular captain Darren Lockyer. The Maroons won the series with him as the skipper, despite losing the first match 18-10. In August 2008, Smith was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad.

Cameron was controversially suspended for two weeks in the 2008 finals series after a grapple tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday. The suspension would have only been one week had he not had carry over points from a previous grapple tackle in round 1 of the year's competition. This meant he was suspended for Melbourne's 2008 grand final.The suspension was blown up by the media after the game and was responsible for the Melbourne Storm CEO, Brian Waldron, and coach, Craig Bellamy, claiming the judiciary had made their minds up before Cameron's case was heard. The judiciary panel members then threatened to sue the club if the comments were not retracted. Cameron signed a four year extension to his contract in December 2008, resulting in him being a contracted player through to the end of at least the 2012 season. His contract is rumoured to be partly funded by third party sponsors who do not contribute to the standard salary cap.

In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009. He was selected for Australia in the one-off test match against New Zealand on 8 May 2009.

In the preliminary final in which Melbourne thrashed Brisbane 40–10, he became Storm's highest ever point scorer, beating Matt Orford's record of 877. Smith led the Storm in their 2009 NRL Grand Final victory over the Parramatta Eels.

At the end of the season he joined the Kangaroos on their campaign to win the 2009 Four Nations tournament in England. He scored the try that saved Australia from losing in the opening match and also scored in the Kangaroos' victory against England in the final.

In 2010 he played in the 2010 World Club Challenge at halfback in the absence of his usual halfback Cooper Cronk due to injury. Smith kicked 5 goals and was named man of match.

He is now the Melbourne Storm's most experienced playing player due to the retirement of Matt Geyer at the end of 2008. He is the only current Storm player in the squad who played under Mark Murray as well as the only one to have played in a season when the Storm did not make the finals due to their performance (the Storm finished 10th in 2002, the year Smith made his debut).

Smith played in the 2010 Anzac Test. For the first time since Game II of the 2003 Origin series, Smith wasn't wearing the No 9 for Queensland, after he failed to overcome the elbow injury he sustained playing in that Test. He was replaced by Matt Ballin.

In Round 26 of the 2010 NRL season Smith became the first Melbourne Storm player to reach 1000 points after successfully converting Ryan Hinchcliffe's try.

Smith played in the 42-0 thrashing of the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team during the 2010 Four Nations. It was a game where he converted 5 tries and scored once. He was later named man of the match.

Smith was named man-of-the-match in Queensland's win in Game I and later Game III of the 2011 State of Origin series, subsequently resulting in his naming as the Wally Lewis medal winning man-of-the-series.

On 3 November 2011 The annual RLIF Awards dinner was held at the Tower of London and Smith was named Hooker of the year.

Personal Life

Smith has two children, a daughter named Jada who was born in 2008 and a son called Jasper who was born the following year, with his long term partner Barbara "Barb" Johnson.

Achievements

• 2005: Ron McAullife Medal
• 2005: Club Player of the Year
• 2006: Dally M Player of the Year
• 2006: Club Player of the Year
• 2007: Wally Lewis Medal (State of Origin)
• 2007: Golden Boot Award International Player of the Year
• 2007: NRL – Most points (192) scored ever by a hooker in a season
• 2007: Club Player of the Year
• 2011: Wally Lewis Medal (State of Origin)
• 2011: Dally M Captain of the Year
• 2011: Dally M Hooker of the year

External links

• Melbourne Storm profile
• Smith takes Golden Boot award
• [1]