NEWS Cameron Smith announces retirement

[broncsgoat]

There has to be some sense of irony in probably the greatest player ever having what is likely to be the worst possible bronze statue ever.

I know it wasn't a full statue but I present to you Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[tommy]

I know it wasn't a full statue but I present to you Cristiano Ronaldo

View attachment 11723

 

[heartly87]

I know it wasn't a full statue but I present to you Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[Fozz]

View attachment 11720

 

[mrslong]

Look let's be honest people hate Smith because he is the best. NSW hates him because he dominated them, every time they said they are over the hill he came out and wooped them. Fans don't like him because he doesn't play for their team.

He literally is without a doubt the best ever, those donks in the media just don't like that he isn't from NSW and their pride and joy John's is not half the player or man Smith is. They give Cam more slack then the drunk bafoon John's ever got. One reason NSW.

Another QLD legend that should have a nice gold statue next to the king. Qld has legit heroes of the game, while NSW has Fred Filter and John's two absolute flogs as people.

We should all be happy that the we witnessed the best and he was from QLD. A legit immortal unlike their puffed up rush job John's.

yeah nah.

I'd probably like him more if he hadn't pulled the pin on Kev 3 weeks before Origin, and if he hadn't cheated the system for years then whined it's not fair and wants his trophies back.

 

[Galah]

yeah nah.

I'd probably like him more if he hadn't pulled the pin on Kev 3 weeks before Origin, and if he hadn't cheated the system for years then whined it's not fair and wants his trophies back.

You mean still pretends he never lost them

 

[Foordy]

7. Hughes - top three halfback (behind Cleary and DCE)

Hughes isn't a top 3 half back ...

without a game managing hooker like Cam Smith (or at least someone similar in the spine somewhere), he isn't worth the 700k the Storm will be paying him next year or the 800k the Warriors offered him.

he could potentially be an elite fullback; or a very good 5/8 if partnered with a game manager at half back

 

[Kooly87]

Hughes isn't a top 3 half back ...

without a game managing hooker like Cam Smith (or at least someone similar in the spine somewhere), he isn't worth the 700k the Storm will be paying him next year or the 800k the Warriors offered him.

he could potentially be an elite fullback; or a very good 5/8 if partnered with a game manager at half back

He's a Premiership winning Halfback, and even if you were to factor in the huge role Smith played in steering that ship, I'd still suggest that $700k for a Halfback who's won a Premiership and can potentially be an elite Fullback or even a very good 5/8 still looks like a very reasonable piece of business.

We pay vastly more than that for Milford who is at best only one of those things, and only occasionally, and not for quite a long time. We pay exactly as much as that for Matt Lodge and he's a Front Rower who may well be coming off the bench for us once Haas is back.

$700k for Hughes is a more than reasonable price compared to most of the NRL player market. Dare I say it, Melbourne may have even got slight 'unders' there. I couldn't even blame the Warriors for offering $800k given they're a bit more desperate to attract talent than most clubs.

 

[Foordy]

He's a Premiership winning Halfback,

so is Shane Perry

We pay vastly more than that for Milford

no one is arguing that Milford is way over paid and hasn't given us value for money ... except maybe bgoat

halfback order IMO:

top rung: Cleary, DCE, Reynolds
2nd rung: Keary, Pearce
3rd rung: Moses, Hughes, Taylor (if he can replicate his 2020 form)
4th rung: the rest

 

[Finbar]

I'm sorry for wasting bandwidth on this

 

[Astro]

I bet they have a second more accurate statue hidden away from public view.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

He's a Premiership winning Halfback, and even if you were to factor in the huge role Smith played in steering that ship, I'd still suggest that $700k for a Halfback who's won a Premiership and can potentially be an elite Fullback or even a very good 5/8 still looks like a very reasonable piece of business.

We pay vastly more than that for Milford who is at best only one of those things, and only occasionally, and not for quite a long time. We pay exactly as much as that for Matt Lodge and he's a Front Rower who may well be coming off the bench for us once Haas is back.

$700k for Hughes is a more than reasonable price compared to most of the NRL player market. Dare I say it, Melbourne may have even got slight 'unders' there. I couldn't even blame the Warriors for offering $800k given they're a bit more desperate to attract talent than most clubs.

Chad Townsend, Ben Hornsby, Shane Perry. Decent players all 3, but they played a role as a halfback and were not near worth 700,000 or it's equivalent in their salary cap terms. And that's being kind to some others.
Halfback isn't even the most important position on the field with the new rules. One of your halves should be a game breaker, and the other or even the same half should be calm under pressure with a good kicking game. Hooker and fullback are more important in my eyes in today's game. If grant becomes as good as everyone thinks he will, highest contract may come back to bite them

 

[Foordy]

highest contract may come back to bite them

which Hughes contract

 

[Renegade]

so is Shane Perry



no one is arguing that Milford is way over paid and hasn't given us value for money ... except maybe bgoat

halfback order IMO:

top rung: Cleary, DCE, Reynolds
2nd rung: Keary, Pearce
3rd rung: Moses, Hughes, Taylor (if he can replicate his 2020 form)
4th rung: the rest

Would mostly agree with your rankings but would throw Morgan into the 2nd rung (if he stays injury free).

 

[BroncsFan]

Would mostly agree with your rankings but would throw Morgan into the 2nd rung (if he stays injury free).

Michael Morgan??

He can't be 2nd rung... he played top tier for 8 weeks in 2017, but that's it... he's such a good halfback that his coach has moved him to 5/8

 

[Renegade]

Michael Morgan??

He can't be 2nd rung... he played top tier for 8 weeks in 2017, but that's it... he's such a good halfback that his coach has moved him to 5/8

did he? haven't seen the team list, just imo.

 

[Sproj]

Hughes isn't a top 3 half back ...

without a game managing hooker like Cam Smith (or at least someone similar in the spine somewhere), he isn't worth the 700k the Storm will be paying him next year or the 800k the Warriors offered him.

he could potentially be an elite fullback; or a very good 5/8 if partnered with a game manager at half back

I get this view and understand it but in my opinion, he is a top three halfback. I don't agree with the list you've given below but again, understand it.

Hughes, as far as I am aware, has played in two GFs as a starting halfback, one successful, one unsuccessful. The unsuccessful one was after being in the spot after like a month. In the last GF, he was an extremely influential player. He is CRIMINALLY underrated as a halfback as he has all the attributes of a genuinely good halfback - good kicker, runner and is always threatening. This is also an era of not many truly great halfbacks, so yeah, in my opinion he is top three but more than happy to be disagreed with.

 

[Midean]

Holy shit these statue pictures are cracking me up.