He's the greatest of all time according to Josh Papalii, and the Raiders enforcer believes Cameron Smith still has plenty to offer in the NRL should he choose to remain in the game.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Retirement talk has swirled around the Melbourne captain all season and the vetreran is yet to publicly decide his future, although it is widely expected he will hang up the boots this year.
It means Friday night's preliminary final could be his last NRL match, should the Storm bow out to the Raiders and Smith decides to call time on his 19 seasons in the league.
"He still looks like he could play for another four years," Papalii said when asked about Smith this week.
"He's still up there with try assists and scoring tries, he's one of a kind. There's so many kids who look up to Smits and I'm no different [as] a young Logan boy growing up and I used to idolise him.
"I know we've played different positions but he's shown the way, if you work hard you can do something with your life, especially in footy.
"To play against him, with him, it's obviously a dream come true."
Astonishingly, Smith was already playing his 10th season in the NRL when Papalii debuted in 2011, and the Storm skipper will run out for his 429th appearance for the club on Friday.
The pair have known each other for much longer than that. Papalii used to play alongside Smith's younger brother Matthew at Logan Brothers in Queensland.
That team was coached by Smith's father, and managed by his mother.
"A few of our grand finals we got Cameron Smith to run our water, they're times you probably never forget," Papalii said.
"They're just special people. It just shows with Cameron being who he is, the only player to play 400 games and he's just breaking records left right and centre."
Smith's side is playing a sixth-straight preliminary final, and aiming for their fourth NRL decider in the past five years.
MORE RAIDERS NEWS:
They enjoyed a rest in week two of the finals while the Raiders slugged out a bruising win over the reigning premier Sydney Roosters, but Raiders back rower Elliott Whitehead said his side would be ready for Smith's men on Friday.
"He's a quality player, he controls the game really well and tries to frustrate other teams - we'll do our homework on him and hopefully we can find some weak links around him," Whitehead said.
"We've got the belief and the confidence within ourselves that we can go up there and get the result. I believe us as a team and as a club, we're definitely up there now with the best teams in the competition.
"We've got a bit of training to do now...we'll get ready for them and hopefully get the result."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
