Sandon Smith walked onto Alllianz Stadium as the smallest of all 34 players, but marched off with 22 points and a place in rugby league’s Anzac Day history after leading the Roosters to a 46-18 demolition of St George Illawarra.
Staring down last-place on the ladder if they had been beaten, the Tricolours made the most of a mountain of first-half possession, with Smith bagging two runaway tries in the opening 40 minutes.
In front of a 41,021-strong crowd, Smith joined famed Roosters five-eighth performances from Braith Anasta in 2007 (when he gave Dragons opposite Richie Williams a bath after being called out in the press) and Brad Fittler’s stepping and swerving Anzac Cup match-winner in 2004.
Smith’s double even had shades of Fittler’s runaway effort, albeit the 176cm half moved roughly twice as fast as Freddy did in his autumn years. He was in everything and the most deserving of Ashton-Collier Medal as player of the match.
By the time the first half stanza was over, Smith had helped himself to 16 points and a try at either end of the half, selling Clint Gutherson a dummy as he raced 40 metres from broken play just before the break.
Smith was in everything. Almost all of it was good, but there were 10 nervous minutes when he was put on report and sin-binned early in the second half for collecting Lachlan Ilias in the head with a lazy swinging arm.
Trailing 20-6, the Dragons couldn’t convert with the extra man.
Sandon Smith on the run.Credit: Getty Images
Instead, it was Roosters rookie forward Blake Steep bagging a 60-metre runaway try, once again dusting Gutherson with a dummy that rookie forwards just shouldn’t throw.
The enterprising try in response from Kyle Flanagan mattered little. Not when Smith’s first act in returning from the bin was to stop, dummy and nip back against the grain.
Not when the diminutive pivot was then able to dink a grubber not just on the run, but in the midst of being tackled, for James Tedesco to join him on the scoresheet.
James Tedesco was in everything as usual.Credit: Getty Images
It was the highlight play in a day full of them for the young five-eighth, who has been highlighted as the playmaker with the most to lose if Daly Cherry-Evans arrives at Bondi Junction next season.
From the outset in the here and now though, the Roosters dominated. By the 20-minute mark, they had stacked up more than 80 per cent of possession, forcing the Dragons to make three tackles for every one the Roosters were asked to attempt.
The Tricolours young halves Smith and Hugo Savala impressed with such a dominant platform to work from.
Most notably because they refused to back away after a blunder. Savala, in his sixth game of first grade was hammered early by Valentine Holmes. Sione Finau latched onto the loose ball and raced away for the Dragons first try.
Savala’s next play was to force a line drop-out from a similar position in attack. He finished with a deserved first NRL try with a minute to go.
Smith played from a similar hymn sheet – kicking too long with one attacking punt that delivered the Dragons a seven-tackle set, but then grubbering successfully into their in-goal with his next.
For Shane Flanagan and his side, the less remembered of this one, the better. They were thoroughly outplayed while the Roosters yo-yo-ing season continues.
Star halfback Sam Walker is due to return in six weeks or so and who knows what happens then. For now though, this is a day his deputy Smith won’t ever forget.
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