Brandon Smith’s maiden season at the Sydney Roosters hasn’t gone to plan – far from it.
After a big-money move from the Melbourne Storm, the star badly struggled for form in the first half of the season, written off as a giant flop – and then things went from bad to worse when he broke his thumb in May and needed surgery.
But the polarising star enjoyed a late-year resurgence and has been pivotal to the Roosters’ red-hot run into the finals.
On Friday night, he returns to face his former team at AAMI Park for the third time since making the move to Sydney – and he might just hold the key to victory.
As former teammate Harry Grant said this week: “It’s funny the way the script has panned out for him, coming back for a final against Melbourne Storm.”
As far as scripts go, the Smith story sits somewhere between comedic farce and gripping drama.
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There was the infamous white powder video from 2021, when then-Storm trio Smith, Cameron Munster, and Chris Lewis were filmed with a white substance while partying a hotel. The trio were fined for the incident – which came in the wake of Melbourne bowing out of the finals – and each handed a one-match ban.
Then came another flashpoint just a couple of months later, with Smith igniting controversy with an appearance on the YKTR Sports podcast in late 2021.
The larrikin – never afraid of speaking his mind – sparked fury among Storm fans when he spoke glowingly about a recent trip to the Roosters, one of many rival clubs who had been courting the talented Kiwi international.
Smith said: “I was just looking at the Roosters jersey as he was saying it and I had goosebumps. I was looking at it going, ‘I want to win a premiership in that jersey’.”
That was despite having a year to go on his contract at the Storm.
Smith apologised for those comments and was at his dangerous best in 2022, sharing hooking duties with Grant in a devastating one-two punch.
But it was that sharing of duties – and Grant’s impressive rise to prominence – that effectively pushed Smith out the door in search of a regular starting role.
He ended up at Sydney for $800,000 per year, despite significantly bigger offers elsewhere including from the Dolphins.
League great Gorden Tallis said this week: “There’s no doubt he wanted to stay in Melbourne. They were both half getting offered. Melbourne picked Harry.”
It makes for an intriguing battle between two star men who have enjoyed very different seasons.
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Grant has bagged a career-high nine tries this campaign as well as notching career-highs in tackles made and offloads, and played all three State of Origin games for Queensland in their series win.
He’s also had the wood over his former hooking partner on both occasions the two teams faced off this year – with Grant putting on a masterclass in the 28-8 win over the Roosters in Round 6 before repeating the feat in Round 20, where he had a try and a try assist in a 30-16 win.
It was after that July match that Smith hit the spotlight again for joking with his former teammates on the field after the defeat left his team 14th and seemingly destined to miss the finals.
In typical fashion, Smith hit back at his critics with a broadside and an expletive or two.
“I guess it is not ideal to be happy after a loss like that, especially with the season on the line,” Smith said on his Jam and Cheese Podcast.
“But those guys I am talking to, I have genuine love for those guys. I’ve just got through a footy game, I haven’t played in nine weeks and I get to see my best mates … If I can’t enjoy moments with my mates after a game you can pretty much go and get f****d.”
That’s Smith for you – a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks without inhibition, a character to love or hate.
And there’s been no shortage of hate this season for the big-money Roosters recruit.
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Transitioning to a full-time number nine at the Roosters, there were plenty of growing pains at the start of the 2023 campaign with Smith’s service from dummy-half heavily criticised.
The 27-year-old then missed seven games with a broken thumb, returning just before the Roosters’ began their season-saving win streak to storm into the finals.
During his side’s red-hot run – seven wins from eight since Smith returned to starting hooker, – the ‘Cheese’ has improved his work out of dummy-half and been more willing in defence.
That was summed up perfectly in last week’s clutch 13-12 win over the Sharks with what one Roosters player told the Sydney Morning Herald was the “biggest play of the game.”
With just over 15 minutes until full-time, the Roosters were languishing with James Tedesco still in the bin and Joey Manu off injured. The Sharks had taken advantage of the extra man just seconds after Tedesco had gone to the bin in the 53rd minute with Ronaldo Mulitalo scoring for a 10-6 lead.
As time ticked down and Tedesco desperately waited for his chance to get back on the play, the Sharks seemed certain to score again and all-but-seal victory. Mulitalo raced down the left flank from deep in his own half and had a two-on-one with Rooster Sandon Smith.
Mulitalo was supported by Siosifa Talakai, with a simple pass all that was needed for the Sharks to secure victory and a semi-final date with the Storm.
But Brandon Smith put in a lung-busting run to desperately hunt down Talakai, the pressure convincing Mulitalo not to throw the pass and instead take the tackle.
It kept the Chooks in the game, before they surged back for a stunning late win.
Smith’s resurgence comes on the back of ‘honest conversations’ with coach Trent Robinson – and some brutal work on the training paddock.
“I was just doing a lot of running and it was tough. I semi thought I was in the army for nine weeks,” Smith said this week.
“I thought I had joined the SAS, not the Roosters, but it has paid off and hopefully we can keep building.”
“I got trained really hard and I guess I just built a little bit of trust in the team with my defence, and we’ve been able to connect a lot better from that,” Smith added.
Smith won’t shy away from admitting his start to life at the Tricolours was well below his best.
“I have been good, I wouldn’t say great,” Smith said.
“We had a lot of honest conversations, me and Trent (Robinson). The way I have been going – obviously injuries didn’t help.
“I have been back for six or seven weeks now and I think we have won six of the games. I am just proud that we can put together some performances on the back of our defence.”
While Smith starred in Sydney’s clutch one-point win last week, Grant was far below his best in the Storm’s shocking defeat to the Broncos.
“It was the worst performance I’ve seen Harry Grant play. His timing out of dummy half is one of his strong suits and it just wasn’t there,” The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis said on NRL 360.
“Something must have happened to him in the warm up. In the first set of six he gets up pushing (Pat) Carrigan. That’s way out of character,” Gorden Tallis added, while James Hooper said: “From the minute that the whistle went, the temperament he displayed was the antithesis of everything we’ve become accustomed to about what a pro Harry Grant is.”
Grant has been ‘invincible’ all season, Braith Anasta declared, up until his torrid time against Brisbane. For Smith, it’s been the opposite story – miserably out of form the first half of the year, before finding his feet at the perfect time.
Always good for a quote, Smith couldn’t help but take a lighthearted dig at his former teammates after their heavy loss to Brisbane in last week’s qualifying final.
“They were putrid,” Smith said.
“Hopefully they bring that performance again. That would be great. I don’t think they are going to do that. I think they are going to train hard this week.”
His former teammates took it well, but there’s no doubt that they’re looking forward to his return.
Jahrome Hughes owned up to Storm’s poor performance, saying: “He’s right isn’t he? We were pretty putrid.”
Cameron Munster, who after the game labelled his team’s performance as ‘dogs***’, added: “Did he (say that)? … He pretty much says whatever comes off the top of his head, a little bit like myself. But we’ll see who has the last laugh on Friday.”
And Grant said: “Cheese is always pretty honest. That’s basically what it was – it was a very poor performance. It’s funny the way the script has panned out for him, coming back for a final against Melbourne Storm. We know the player he is and what he’s capable of.”
Few know him better, on the field or off.
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But after two losses in two meetings with his old team this year, Smith will be desperate to show exactly what he’s capable of this time around – and he’s promised to keep his emotions in check.
“I think the voodoo is gone now, the whole emotion part of it. I’ve played them twice this year,” Smith said.
“I’ve played a lot of finals games for Melbourne down at AAMI Park and while I don’t know what it is going to be like playing against them, I think the two games prior to this has kind of softened the blow on the emotion side of things.
“At the end of the day I have got a job to do for the Roosters, I respect that club and I enjoyed my time there, but it is time to show the fans why I am a Rooster now.
“I told Robbo the same thing. He came and asked me how I feel about it and what my week is going to look like in that regard. I said the emotion is semi-detached from it.
“I am a Rooster now.”
While few would expect either of the injury-smashed teams to go all the way this season, the battle of the number nines looms as a must-watch.
After laughing with his old Storm mates after the July defeat, he’ll be hoping to get the last laugh over them – and his many critics.
“This is a great opportunity for Brandon Smith. We’ve been critical of Brandon Smith as he has been out of form for the majority of the year but he’s come good at the right time,” Braith Anasta said.
“If Brandon can help the Sydney Roosters orchestrate an upset at AAMI Park down on troops, then he actually erases the three months of terrible form and all the other negative headlines and all of that,” James Hooper added. “If the Roosters make a prelim, and he’s instrumental and he actually delivers on the reason why the Roosters went after him …”
“I think he shuts everyone up, including all of us here,” Anasta interjected.
“If he goes out there and they win the game and he’s man of the match well then he’s proven us all wrong.”
