Brandy weighs in on Broncos’ “biggest miss ever”

NRL great Greg “Brandy” Alexander has heaped praise on Melbourne Storm legend Cameron Smith as the 34-year-old prepares to make NRL history on Saturday night.

The veteran skipper will surpass former Australia captain Darren Lockyer’s record of most games played in the NRL when he runs out on the field with the Storm for the 356th time against Parramatta at AAMI Park.

“He brings a calmness like no one else,” Alexander said on SEN Afternoons.

“You can have a game that is played at breakneck speed, it is frantic, but Cameron Smith just seems to be able to slow things down.”

“There is so much that he brings to a side,” Alexander said. “Great defender, very good dummy half that brings his forwards and puts them into space.”

GOAT?Source:Getty Images

Smith, who was born in Brisbane and represents Queensland in State of Origin, was very nearly picked up by the Broncos as a youngster, but it was Melbourne who took the cake for the budding young teen.

His average build and technician style approach to the game would have left a lot to the imagination for Broncos coach Wayne Bennett and his administrative staff. Alexander says that misstep in faith for the youngster was devastating for the Broncos considering his blistering success — but it wasn’t entirely their fault.

“(It was) the biggest miss ever,” he said.

“(But) sometimes at a young age it is not obvious that some players will turn out to be champions. When you think about it, Cameron Smith isn’t this flashy type of player. When you look at what attributes he’s got and what has made him great is his resilience.

“We’ve seen his skill over the years, but maybe that just didn’t stand out to someone who was looking at him just that one off time as a youngster.”

Sharks coach proposes footy shake-up

Shane Flanagan says the NRL needs to rethink the finals.Source:AAP

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan wants the NRL to rethink its finals’ stadium criteria and consider a return to suburban grounds for playoffs against poor- drawing interstate teams.

Between 15,000 and 18,000 people are expected to attend each of Allianz Stadium’s elimination finals on Saturday and Sunday, despite the NRL’s best efforts to attract crowds.

While there is no excuse for poor numbers between Manly and Penrith - as the AFL sells out the SCG next door - the Sharks are hosting the poor-drawing North Queensland on Sunday.

Under NRL rules, finals matches must be played in the major stadiums in the home cities of the higher-ranked team in the first week of the finals. But Flanagan said in such cases as Sunday, matches should be able to be played at the home team’s traditional base.

“I think you need to have flexibility in those decisions,” he said. “We want to play in big stadiums but also if we’re not going to fill them, we want to have the option to play them here at Southern Cross Group Stadium.” NRL finals haven’t been played at suburban grounds since 2010, when thousands of St George Illawarra fans were locked out of Kogarah for their qualifying final against Manly.

The following year just under 14,000 attended a qualifying final between Manly and the Cowboys at Moore Park, while North Queensland’s only other week-one trip to Sydney since then was part of an Allianz Stadium double-header. But Flanagan said he understood the complexities which the NRL faced in scheduling and stadium arrangement, with the major grounds made available weeks in advance.

“We want to fill Allianz on one hand, but if we’re not going to fill it we want to play here (in Cronulla),” he said.

“If it is 16,000, we can have it here. But I want to have more than 16,000. I want to have 26,000.

“It’s a catch-22. When do you make that decision?

“I understand the NRL’s position.” Instead, Flanagan said the onus was on the fans to turn up.

— AAP