As a Queenslander and rugby league fan, I’ll happily admit to a genuine admiration for Cameron Smith.
As the winningest player in the history of the game, he seems incredibly maligned, not just as a player but also as a person. Is he the best player ever? Who knows?
Has he had the best career of all time? With his stack of records (neatly listed in the book) he has to be in the conversation. Despite that, the release of his long-awaited autobiography was of little interest to me.
Sporting biographies tend to land in one of two categories: a tedious, formulaic prose that reveals little more than a moderately interested follower of the respective person would already know.
Steve Waugh’s nearly 800 pages falls squarely in this category and the John Eales effort from several years back was a great cure for insomnia.
The second category represents a cliche where the subject alternates between reflection, time spent linking childhood experiences with future success and self-help guru. I’m looking at you Justin Langer.
In fairness, there is a small third category, where the book actually opens a window to the person and transcends the sport, by revealing a level of insight that is not only unexpected, but genuinely interesting.
Andre Agassi’s Open is one example and to this day I’d recommend it to anyone.
But back to Cameron and The Storm Within. It duly found its way under my Christmas tree so I had nothing but time to invest.
As a rugby league fan, the sustained success of the Melbourne Storm is remarkable. One aspect of their success that I find fascinating lies not from the players they develop into superstars, but of the players who descend to average first graders when they leave the Storm system.
And that was what kept me interested in this book. I have no interest in whether Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk exchange Christmas cards and I don’t really care why the NRL saw fit to gift Cameron’s wife a diamond ring when he broke the games played record.
The book gives the latter issue much more attention in case you were wondering.
Yet, as the Storm captain for the better part of 15 years, I thought Smith would offer up some interesting insights as to what kept his team on top for so long? And admittedly, I was also interested for clues as to whether he is likely to play on this year and beyond.
To the first question, Smith defers much of the credit to Craig Bellamy (or ‘Bellyache’ or ‘Dogface’ as he’s known in the book).
Craig Bellamy (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)
While it’s frequently referred to, the clear message is that the club’s sustained success comes back to the standards Bellamy has instilled in the club.
“People talk about the Melbourne Storm culture. Really it was just about the standards and behaviours we were willing to accept.”
And while there are a few practical examples, including one where early in his career Bellamy pulled Smith aside and told him he was training within himself and of the need to give his all at every session on the training track, that’s really as much of an insight as the reader gets.
The second point is a bit harder and when Smith and his shadow writer Andrew Webster started collating the book, there would have surely been a suspicion that Smith’s future into 2021 would have been determined one way or the other.
But that is where a deeper picture of Cameron Smith steps forward. Smith clearly has a strong sense of self and is deeply loyal firstly to his family and secondly to his club.
He wants to spend more time with his family but the thrill he gets from training and from competing certainly hasn’t waned. I’ve no doubt he was genuine when he said he didn’t want to remain at the Storm if it meant the club would lose Harry Grant or Brandon Smith.
It’s also clear that the standards that are ingrained at Melbourne have been a major driver in making Smith the player he has been for so long. And importantly, his understanding of this is clear in the book.
One gets the sense that Smith is torn between a genuine enjoyment of the game and a willingness to keep going; but with the knowledge that if he’s not playing at the Storm, those standards that have driven him for many years will no longer be present.
Deep down he wants to play on and based on his 2020 form, he could do so; but that loyalty to Melbourne, his need for that Storm ‘culture’, coupled with a desire to spend more time at home will see him hanging up the boots for good.
It’s a shame that the issue of playing on remains unresolved in the book because the context of the final chapters is certainly overshadowed by that unanswered question.
One issue that was explored in the book and which certainly leaves me at odds with Smith was the Storm’s salary cap scandal and the stripping of the 2007 and ’09 premierships.
Smith emphasises the fact that the punishments were announced before a thorough investigation had been undertaken and perhaps rightly, he feels the players weren’t sufficiently supported through the resultant fallout and the season that involved playing for no points.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Yet the fact remains the Storm were over the salary cap to the tune of $3.78 million over a five-year period. Smith’s defence of the players and coaching staff was ultimately vindicated by the NRL, but his defence on the basis that he never received any unexpected payments in his bank account is naïve at best.
What’s perhaps most remarkable is that Smith still states that he’s on good terms with both Brian Waldron and Matt Hansen, then CEO and CFO respectively.
The person he does hold animosity towards however is David Gallop, the NRL CEO who handed out the punishments.
What’s also disappointing is the lack of acknowledgement of the damage to the game delivered by the episode.
The Storm ran a sophisticated system involving massive overpayments that was designed to cheat the salary cap. They won two premierships with teams that had been assembled outside the rules.
While Smith may claim they won these premierships because they trained and worked harder than anyone else, those teams were assembled and retained in violation of the rules. It’s perhaps disappointing and surprising that Smith does not in any way acknowledge the damage done to the game through that shameful episode.
So, is The Storm Within worth the read? Smith has always been a polarising figure, attracting praise and criticism in equal measure and this book is unlikely to change anyone’s mind about him.
There is the odd interesting morsel; about why he chose the Storm over the Broncos for example, while the chapter covering the Alex McKinnon incident and aftermath certainly gets an extended revision.
If you’re a keen league follower and a Maroons or Storm fan, you’ll find a few nuggets to enjoy. If you’re not, it’s probably best left on the shelf.
criag
Roar Rookie
Just a fine would never be good enough. The club would have to be heavily penalised in some way, but that potentially punishes future players, so perhaps stripping is the best option. I did feel for the Eels in 2009, especially as the ref IMO let Melbourne get away with a couple of things he didn't allow Parramatta. But every club the Storm beat in the finals could've potentially got to the GF, so it would've been unfair to award Parra the title. (BTW, Uncle Nick is too smart to even think about rorting the cap).
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Why do Trump supporters still claim he won the election? It's ''clear'' to them that he won because they aren't interested in the truth. The Argentine fans got lucky because they were awarded a goal which should have been denied. The goal still stands and we move on. Next time they score a goal like that , replays will show the truth and it will be disallowed. If the supporters then claim they saw the ''goal'' scored with their own eyes and pretend it was valid, despite being stripped, then they will be as deluded as the current Storm lot who are still claiming two titles. Comparing a player who gets away with cheating in a split second during a game and several years of systematic salary cap cheating isn't valid either.
mushi
Roar Guru
Hmm how would we do it. We could do it like other leauges around the world and restrict them with future penalties, something they started with Manly but it was still not much of a penalty for the risk/reward. The punishment has to be forward looking, look if it keeps the masses happy then strip the premierships etc but that will do nothing to stop a rational management team. Drop their cap by an escalating percentage, starting at say 150%, of whatever percentage they were in excess for as many years as they did it. The penalty is then put into a players fund that is shared equally amongst all registered NRL players (so that players still get the same bargained amount) The reason is that the benefits of material systemic abuse are lasting. You inflate the value of other players at other clubs thus effectively reducing your competitors cap after you’re caught and reset to a “level” playing field. You also create optionality around retention and recruitment that shouldn’t have existed. Add to that when the hammer comes down you typically have you have the psychology of us and them. So you get a discount in the near term years as players roll off even if you prevent an immediate reduction. The immediate reduction also has been a farce in the past with the club having the option how who to let go – which is valuable in and of itself. The NRL is a global outlier with cap fraud, and it’s obvious as to why.
mushi
Roar Guru
It's clear? Then why do fans and the players of the club still defend it, "clearly" it doesn’t have the binary effect on validity. We still use those years to frame the greatness of many players and a coach, so we apply validity to it, It doesn’t go back in time and strip the feeling away, it colours the memory for those objective fans (which is a minority in sport) but largely it created an us vs them. And regardless - they are still the only fans and players that year that got that feeling. Those fans and players still “won” that year. Also I don’t agree with the parralells of an individual athlete with a club. Just look at say the hand of god – don’t see Argentinian fans giving that win back. It might be clear to people who aren't fans of Melbourne but that does nothing to disuade.
kersed
Roar Rookie
Yes, they had to play the remainder of the season with the spoon guaranteed
Joe
Roar Rookie
Did they play for no points for the rest of the season? The Club was punished which is fair enough, same as the Storm with the removal of premierships but to make the players play for no points seems a bit harsh.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
You could have seen the bloke who won a marathon , after catching a long ride in a car , cross the finishing line as well but nobody is debating what anyone saw , it's the validity of the win. Some wins aren't valid , it's pretty clear.
kersed
Roar Rookie
Do we all forget that the Bulldogs were stripped of 37 points in 2002, SIX days after the cap breaches were discovered? Was this not also a quick decision? I think it is probably fair to assume that they would have won the comp that year when you consider the run they had, in effect a similar result to Melbourne 'losing' their tainted premierships. Probably worse because they didn't get the opportunity to participate in the whole grand final experience and parade around some false trophies in their display cabinet like some other mob did....
kersed
Roar Rookie
Sure but what do you suggest as an alternative? If we are just to 'fine' clubs who breach the salary cap, it does nothing either. The rich clubs who can afford to spend more than the salary cap, can also afford the fines (Amazing right?) There needs to be harsh consequences for breaching the cap and there also needs to be better management of the auditing processes.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
And isn't this the nub of it Chui? I haven't read Smith's book. But excerpts of it have been published previously in the press. Surely any player would want to know why they were signing two contracts. Isn't that what player's managers are for. The other thing is that I refuse to read a book about a player co-written or ghost written by someone else. If you can't write it yourself, you haven't thought about it.
Tony
Roar Guru
I'm going to find some of his albums for my collection
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Ian Dury was a classic back in the late 70s early 80s - didn't mind a bit of the old how's your father - his song lyrics are full of it - I had his first album New Boots and Panties and played it a lot - fantastic backing band as well - the Blockheads - real musicians who were more jazzy and funky - a lot different to the punk stuff around at the time - not that I didn't mind that as well
Tony
Roar Guru
Great stuff Geoff
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Massive fan of the Allmans and Radio Birdman - wished I'd seen them both live - fantastic bands
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Here is some of his best stuff - from the song Billericay Dickie off his first album "Good evening, I'm from Essex In case you couldn't tell My given name is Dickie I come from Billericay And I'm doing very well Had a love affair with Nina In the back of my cortina A seasoned-up hyena Could not have been more obscener She took me to the cleaners And other misdemeanours But I got right up between her Rum and her Ribena" Reasons to be cheerful, Part 3 He was clever but apparently not the easiest bloke to get along with - there was a film about him if I recall - very interesting and complex man
matth
Roar Guru
Try John Elias' book Sin Bin. It is a riveting read about life outside the mainstream.
matth
Roar Guru
Because he doesn't have to
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Try Mike Tyson's, ' Undisputed Truth' , sensational. Also King of the World, about Ali. Not strictly an autobiography but one helluva book. Boxing and cricket and baseball ( as well as horse-racing) produce the best sports literature. Unfortunately League hasn't produced a classic yet imo.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
I could send you my memoirs but seeing that a few people are still alive my publisher has advised to hold off the printing!
Broken Shoulder
Roar Rookie
Noted!