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The Backpacker #11 for the mighty Roosters. Feeling the pain of a long season
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Would the real Craig Smith please raise his
knee
Ricky Stuart and Phil Gould are, arguably, the stalwarts at the top of most league fans Greatest Whingers lists but Chris Anderson must take the whinging irony award. When Jason Stevens was suspended for knee lifting in 2002, the Sharks were fined $10,000 for their criticism of the judiciary. Rewind a season to 2001 and whom do we find leading the knee lifting lynch mob (then Storm coach) Chris Anderson. Its a dangerous thing to do
the league should look at it before someone gets hurt, he said, thrusting Dragons prop Craig Smith mercilessly into the hands of the circling vultures. Take a bow and a dose of karma, Chris Anderson. Unfortunately, Craig Smiths knees, after Andersons outburst, were suddenly the focus of, not only the general league public and the media but of the NRL judiciary as well. Was what followed, the systematic persecution and subsequent annihilation of Smith and his chances of ever receiving a fair go in the NRL?
Some would say no. After all, Smiths knees were at the centre of a penalty and citing in Rd 2 of 1999, some two years before Anderson saw fit to bring his running style to the NRLs attention and, if for no other reason than Smith was a veteran of the judiciary gauntlet. There is some consensus though, that Smith was subjected to a concentrated campaign against him. Described by Blocker as a mongrel, Smith could have felt unfairly maligned by the NRL, well before the black season of 2002. A union convert that only found himself at the Bulldogs in 1994 as the result of a friendship with Craig Polla-Mounter, Smith was never far from Rugby League controversy. Notably, the Kiwis inclusion in the 1996 Queensland origin team during the bleak war and his ability for getting suspended prior to Kiwi test matches, a subject well documented by New Zealands conspiracy theorist journalists.
Conspiracy theories aside, Smith appeared subjected to greater than normal scrutiny of his running style in 2001 and, ultimately his whole game came under the watchful eye as a result. In a year that Smith needed to renegotiate his contract with St George Illawarra, the denigration of Smith by the media and at the judiciary meant that, as well as being docked a five-figure sum by his club, he felt that he couldnt continue his career within the NRL without continual victimisation and he signed a 2 year contract with the Wigan Warriors. Four suspensions, totalling 15 weeks, in 2001 however, almost saw this contract lost to him as the rules in England state that the player has to have played at least 16 games within the season to qualify as an import. Luckily for Smith, being a current Kiwi at the time saw this rule relinquished. If the rules hadnt been relaxed for him, Smith may have been lost to Rugby League altogether.
Smith only played 40 games for Illawarra over three years and 52 games for St George Illawarra in the three years he was with the joint venture. With Wigan, this has only taken two years to achieve. Has his game been cleaned up to such an extent that hes no longer subject to the judiciary and subsequent suspensions or is there some truth to our favourite whinger, Phil Goulds allegation that the judiciary conspired against Smith to bring about a guilty verdict, despite being successfully sued by the NRL for them. Smith was definitely given an unfair go by the media when a tackle on Kevin Walters resulted in the Broncos player suffering a fractured nose and orbital eye socket. Despite the incident appearing accidental, Smiths past record was dragged out by the media and descriptions of Walterss injuries were the focus without a mention that malice appeared to be uninvolved. Subsequently, Smith was suspended for another six games, the second suspension of this length in the season, effectually ending his NRL career sitting on the sideline.
Smith might see the media as the medium that helped initiate his demise in the NRL but he can probably also appreciate that the accolades the UK media have given him, have gone a long way to his being in contention for the coveted Man of Steel award this year. What a difference two years, some good press and a different judicial panel can make. Once the medias whipping boy, hes now raising his
err
hand for another year with Wigan. And theyre happy about it.
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The abacus says 750 Words including title.
References
Number of Game stats from:
http://www.showroom.com.au/dragons/dragonshistory/history_players_s.htm
Various media
RLW volume 31, No.4
volume 30, No. 32
. Sure take out the positives of a game and try and turn them around but don’t pretend not to be annoyed when your really angry. They also need to talk to the media when they ask the tough questions because that’s promotion of your sport and the supporters of Rugby League deserve to hear your true and proper thoughts. They also need to be able to change coaching methods with the times and not complain whilst doing so.
