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Champagne year for Cameron Smith
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Karl deKroo
December 20, 2007 11:00pm
DARREN Lockyer's 2006 season was always going to be hard to top - but Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith managed to go close.
He replicated Lockyer's feats of premiership, Origin and international glory, and then capped it by being named the Golden Boot winner.
Everything Smith touched in 2007 turned to champagne-swigging glory.
He also made booming strides up the leadership food chain, being elevated to stand-alone captain of Melbourne and also Australian Test skipper for the end-of-season trouncing of the Kiwis.
"It's a season I will remember for the rest of my life," the understated Smith said after collecting the Golden Boot. No kidding.
While Smith was a standout selection in the list of top 10 performers, there were some strong candidates snapping at his heels.
Two Cowboys headed the queue, with halfback Johnathan Thurston and fullback Matt Bowen dynamic.
Thurston, despite carrying serious shoulder injuries, deservedly collected his second Dally M Medal.
He led the Cowboys to one step short of a second grand final in three years and also played a leading hand in Queensland's second successive Origin series win.
Bowen did not get the chance to play at Origin or Test level but you can't help wondering why.
The Hope Vale flyer enjoyed his best NRL season. He led the competition's tryscoring list with 22 from 27 games and made more line breaks (32) and tackle breaks (220) than any other player.
But even those impressive statistics tell only half the story.
Often maligned for his defence, Bowen was outstanding in the last line, saving as many tries as he scored.
He was a deserving winner of the Rugby League Professionals Association player-of-the-year award.
Below the top three the waters become more clouded and congested.
Greg Inglis was asked to play a different role for Melbourne this year, shuffled from the outside backs to stand alongside Cooper Cronk at five-eighth.
The move was a constant source of bar-room conjecture.
Plenty argued that the potency of one of the game's best attacking tools had been blunted by the switch. But the NRL's best coach, Craig Bellamy, was vindicated.
In the game that matters most, the grand final against Manly, Inglis was devastating with the No. 6 on his back and collected the Clive Churchill medal for his efforts.
Three props made our final six, with Luke Bailey, Petero Civoniceva and Steve Price all proving the importance of a good big man.
For the fledgling Titans in their successful first season, Bailey was inspirational.
He averaged an astonishing 69 minutes a game and carried the side almost single-handedly when injuries tore apart the Titans' pack.
Civoniceva was just as inspirational for Brisbane. He pushed aside a messy contract dispute, which eventually saw him sign with Penrith, to deliver some monumental performances.
He also revelled in the captaincy when Lockyer's season came to a premature end.
Hooker Michael Monaghan and fullback Brett Stewart were the driving forces behind Manly's push to the grand final and were duly rewarded with places in the top 10.
Monaghan did not play a bad game and Stewart was exhilarating, making both his Origin and Test debuts.
Last, but hardly least, came the game's rookie of the year, Melbourne teenage tornado Israel Folau.
The powerful winger-cum-centre was devastating and just edged out his former schoolmate and fellow devout Mormon, Parramatta's Krisnan Inu, for a top 10 berth.
Underlining the depth of talent in the code, there was no place for Lockyer, who had his season cut in half by injury.
The year was not a complete write-off for the Brisbane skipper but it was one he would rather shelve than savour.
The same was true for some of the code's other big names. Mark Gasnier, Willie Mason and Danny Buderus did not go near making the cut.
Andrew Johns, the game's biggest name for the past decade, retired early and then dropped a bombshell by revealing he had used illicit drugs for major chunks of his career.
Who knows what twists and turns await us in 2008? But one thing's for sure we won't be left disappointed.
Rugby League top 10
1 Cameron Smith (Storm)
2 Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
3 Matt Bowen (Cowboys)
4 Greg Inglis (Storm)
5 Luke Bailey (Titans)
6 Michael Monaghan (Sea Eagles)
7 Petero Civoniceva (Broncos)
8 Brett Stewart (Sea Eagles)
9 Steve Price (Warriors)
10 Israel Folau (Storm)
Tough luck: Krisnan Inu had an outstanding season for Parramatta.
Not even close: He might be a superstar on his day, but unfortunately for Bulldogs and New Zealand fans Sonny Bill Williams' days are too few and far between.
One for 2008: Feleti Mateo. The Eels multi-skilled lock showed glimpses of his potential in 2007 and if he builds on that form he could emerge as a genuine game breaker next season.
News Limited
Article from: The Courier-Mail
Karl deKroo
December 20, 2007 11:00pm
DARREN Lockyer's 2006 season was always going to be hard to top - but Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith managed to go close.
He replicated Lockyer's feats of premiership, Origin and international glory, and then capped it by being named the Golden Boot winner.
Everything Smith touched in 2007 turned to champagne-swigging glory.
He also made booming strides up the leadership food chain, being elevated to stand-alone captain of Melbourne and also Australian Test skipper for the end-of-season trouncing of the Kiwis.
"It's a season I will remember for the rest of my life," the understated Smith said after collecting the Golden Boot. No kidding.
While Smith was a standout selection in the list of top 10 performers, there were some strong candidates snapping at his heels.
Two Cowboys headed the queue, with halfback Johnathan Thurston and fullback Matt Bowen dynamic.
Thurston, despite carrying serious shoulder injuries, deservedly collected his second Dally M Medal.
He led the Cowboys to one step short of a second grand final in three years and also played a leading hand in Queensland's second successive Origin series win.
Bowen did not get the chance to play at Origin or Test level but you can't help wondering why.
The Hope Vale flyer enjoyed his best NRL season. He led the competition's tryscoring list with 22 from 27 games and made more line breaks (32) and tackle breaks (220) than any other player.
But even those impressive statistics tell only half the story.
Often maligned for his defence, Bowen was outstanding in the last line, saving as many tries as he scored.
He was a deserving winner of the Rugby League Professionals Association player-of-the-year award.
Below the top three the waters become more clouded and congested.
Greg Inglis was asked to play a different role for Melbourne this year, shuffled from the outside backs to stand alongside Cooper Cronk at five-eighth.
The move was a constant source of bar-room conjecture.
Plenty argued that the potency of one of the game's best attacking tools had been blunted by the switch. But the NRL's best coach, Craig Bellamy, was vindicated.
In the game that matters most, the grand final against Manly, Inglis was devastating with the No. 6 on his back and collected the Clive Churchill medal for his efforts.
Three props made our final six, with Luke Bailey, Petero Civoniceva and Steve Price all proving the importance of a good big man.
For the fledgling Titans in their successful first season, Bailey was inspirational.
He averaged an astonishing 69 minutes a game and carried the side almost single-handedly when injuries tore apart the Titans' pack.
Civoniceva was just as inspirational for Brisbane. He pushed aside a messy contract dispute, which eventually saw him sign with Penrith, to deliver some monumental performances.
He also revelled in the captaincy when Lockyer's season came to a premature end.
Hooker Michael Monaghan and fullback Brett Stewart were the driving forces behind Manly's push to the grand final and were duly rewarded with places in the top 10.
Monaghan did not play a bad game and Stewart was exhilarating, making both his Origin and Test debuts.
Last, but hardly least, came the game's rookie of the year, Melbourne teenage tornado Israel Folau.
The powerful winger-cum-centre was devastating and just edged out his former schoolmate and fellow devout Mormon, Parramatta's Krisnan Inu, for a top 10 berth.
Underlining the depth of talent in the code, there was no place for Lockyer, who had his season cut in half by injury.
The year was not a complete write-off for the Brisbane skipper but it was one he would rather shelve than savour.
The same was true for some of the code's other big names. Mark Gasnier, Willie Mason and Danny Buderus did not go near making the cut.
Andrew Johns, the game's biggest name for the past decade, retired early and then dropped a bombshell by revealing he had used illicit drugs for major chunks of his career.
Who knows what twists and turns await us in 2008? But one thing's for sure we won't be left disappointed.
Rugby League top 10
1 Cameron Smith (Storm)
2 Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
3 Matt Bowen (Cowboys)
4 Greg Inglis (Storm)
5 Luke Bailey (Titans)
6 Michael Monaghan (Sea Eagles)
7 Petero Civoniceva (Broncos)
8 Brett Stewart (Sea Eagles)
9 Steve Price (Warriors)
10 Israel Folau (Storm)
Tough luck: Krisnan Inu had an outstanding season for Parramatta.
Not even close: He might be a superstar on his day, but unfortunately for Bulldogs and New Zealand fans Sonny Bill Williams' days are too few and far between.
One for 2008: Feleti Mateo. The Eels multi-skilled lock showed glimpses of his potential in 2007 and if he builds on that form he could emerge as a genuine game breaker next season.
News Limited
