27 Year Old Creative Star Man ‘Underestimated’ His Move To The Sydney Roosters

27 Year Old Creative Star Man ‘Underestimated’ His Move To The Sydney Roosters

 

The move to the Sydney Roosters was ‘underestimated’ by a 27-year-old creative star man.

The Tri-colours will look back on the 2023 season as one that fell far short of expectations despite reaching the NRL finals.

 

 

Brandon Smith, a valued recruit and former Melbourne Storm wrecking ball, claimed earlier in the year that he was at “the lowest point” of his career due to a spate of poor showings and a protracted recovery from a broken thumb.

 

Smith was chosen as the starting number 9 at the Roosters after being forced to play behind Harry Grant, who is probably the best hooker in the league at the Storm. He soon discovered himself in the all-too-common situation of being a significant player off the bench.

 

The fact that the Roosters were stumbling around at the bottom of the league added to the pain.

“We didn’t have as many penalties and errors while I was at Melbourne. Most of the time, we were the front-runners, but now we’re in second place and need to learn to fight, complained Smith in May.

 

Brandon Smith was able to regain his form after his injury, and the Roosters unexpectedly made it to the finals by winning nearly all of their remaining games.

 

The Bondi club led Smith’s former team, the Storm, until a moment of brilliance by Cameron Munster and Will Warbrick saw Melbourne take the victory in the closing seconds, setting the stage for the ultimate headline.

 

Speaking with Sporting News, Smith opened up on how dramatic the difference was from playing rugby league in an AFL-dominated city to being the star recruit at the team known as ‘the glamour club’.

“I completely underestimated it. I didn’t realise that every paper, every week, Roosters are in there and there’s big write-ups. The scrutiny was a lot bigger…” Smith recounted.

 

For most of the year, the Roosters ranked near the bottom of the ladder both in attack and defense.

 

“It kind of takes a mental toll on you and it takes a physical toll on you. We’re working a lot harder than we need to be, people probably didn’t get rested as much as they would because we needed to win,” said Smith.

 

Many recognise Brandon Smith for his candour, confidence and raw ability on the field. While season 2023 was challenging in more ways than one, Smith is focused and driven on going deeper and vying for the premiership in 2024.

 

The Roosters haven’t lost too many big-name players, but can look forward to immediate impact from the dangerous former Penrith Panther Spencer Leniu, and the NRL’s second-highest try scorer, former Newcastle Knight Dominic Young.