Cameron v Joey?

[bellyache]

Who will it be?

 

[bellyache]

Smith will not only be an Immortal, he makes Johns look ordinary. Time is what Smith has in bucket loads, Smith makes those around him look important! Slater, Cronk and myself owe Smith for our success..

 

[Big Pete]

I'd take Johns at this stage too.

The whole Storm salary cap really affects Smith's prime years and while the drug scandal can be leveled at Johns (and team mates) they were never strong enough to completely erase premiership titles out of his career.

As players, Smith is more consistent and a better leader but lacks the talent Joey had.

 

[Matchball]

Hate Cams face so its automatic Johns regardless.
Such a smug cheat.

 

[Guru_]

The only current player that can match johns skills is Hayne

 

[Luke Bowden]

Joey is hands down the most skilful player I've ever seen. He still is, to this day, the best kicker of a rugby league football, country mile second.

 

[pennywisealfie]

Lockyer was better than both.

But out of those 2, Johns by a mile.

 

[umina panther]

Smith is a grubby cheat who should be banned

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Johns couldn't even make the Origin team in his chosen position. Smith hasn't only done that, he's won about 500 series in a row. What next? Who would win a fight out of a polar bear and Quentin Kenyan?

 

[POPEYE]

I presume it's talent we're asked to judge, not intelligence, abstinance, consideration or just plain street sense . . .
if so Smith is a lay down misere. Imo Smith would have less trouble filling in for Johns than vice versa, but then again
I'd rather have a Hilux than a Ferrari, f**k the unreliability and need for high octane.

 

[bluey]

Johns all day long

 

[@MarTiger]

I am not voting here though I believe Cameron Smith will be the most decorated player to have player rugby league when he ends his career.

 

[DIMEAST]

The 'Joey couldn't play Origin at half' is such a weak argument. It's not that he wasn't good enough, it was because he was so good he could fill the hooking position while letting Kimmorly etc play half and be in the same team at the same time

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Both amongst the finest to pull on a boot, but really, it goes like this:

Qlders: "Johns is a druggo!"

NSW: "Smith is a smug arrogant dirty chicken winging, wrestling salary cap cheating merkin."

As an organiser, Smith has a tiny edge - he leads a team in the style Bellamy builds so well. Pressure builder.

As a pure freak, Johns has it in spades. Nobody, NOBODY has the ability to change the flow of a game single handedly the way he could.

And as for the Storm fans who point to the loss of Smith for the 2008 GF - seriously, think about it. Instead of 40-0 it would have been who knows? Perhaps 32-14 or the like. Manly were on fire and deeply motivated after last year, the Storm had been bashed week after week in extremely physical games and were just busted. Smith or no Smith - the Storm were never in it.

 

[gronkathon]

Smith cannot turn major games to his sides advantage in the stunning fashion Joey could.

Cameron may be one of the all time greats but I think he will have a long coaching career that will even overshadow his playing tenure

 

[typicalfan]

The 'Joey couldn't play Origin at half' is such a weak argument. It's not that he wasn't good enough, it was because he was so good he could fill the hooking position while letting Kimmorly etc play half and be in the same team at the same time

Not only that but he completely overshadowed Kimmorley while he was at 9 or off the bench. He often played 9 in defense and 7 in attack when he was with Toovey as well in the mid nineties and in the World Cup when he did that he was still the man of the series. There isn't a halfback I can think of that could do that.

Graeme Langlands was moved to centre to accommodate Ken Thornett. That doesn't make Thornett the better player although he is a Parramatta legend. It doesn't make Graeme Langlands a lesser player than guys like Jack, Belcher or Lockyer who didn't get moved in his career.

 

[NAS]

Johns changed the game.

Smith plays the game better.

Johns could turn a game on his own. Smith controls the game from the outset.

It's a tough question to answer.

The funny thing is that neither is athletically superior, in fact quite the opposite. They are the smartest players to ever play the game.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Well, TBH, Lockyer did change position from 1 to 6 - he was simply too good to leave behind the line. Look at the many fullback lately who've been very handy ballplayers.

Hodgson, Slater, Bowen, Stewart, Dugan etc.

The role of a fullback has certainly changed since Lockyer started.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

The funny thing is that neither is athletically superior, in fact quite the opposite. They are the smartest players to ever play the game.

And it's these players that see 3 moves ahead that keep the people interested - it can't be coached or trained too much, they just have it.

 

[typicalfan]

I isn't just seeing 3 moves ahead, at times he was just a class above everyone else. I remember when the Knights played the Cowboys up in Townsville and it was 48-0 at halftime and 60-6 with 20 minutes to go and Johns came off. The Cowboys scored 18-0 once he came off. Completely and utterly dominant.