Cameron Smith has played more professional games and scored more points than any other rugby league player dating back to 1908 – but many footy fans were furious after the Melbourne Storm great was added to the NRL Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
Smith, 41, retired months after winning a premiership in 2020, but his failure to acknowledge Melbourne cheated the salary cap during his decorated NRL career still gets the under the skin of countless supporters.
‘Cameron Smith shouldn’t be eligible for an Immortal status until the NRL explain to the wider Rugby League world why his wife was given a diamond ring…once that is explained to all of us – then it can be debated,’ tweeted one on X.
A second didn’t mince his words, posting: ‘Cameron Smith is a blight on the sport, he should never be in contention for being an Immortal. He and his Storm mates signing two contracts….[they] should never be anywhere near these accolades. They cheated to keep a great team together which benefited them all substantially.’
A third added: ‘No Storm player or coach should be allowed into the HOF / Immortal status until they publicly admit they cheated and the club stops this nonsense of defiantly celebrating titles that were stripped.’
A fourth savagely weighed in with: ‘Yep. Grub Of All Time.’
While Smith and his Melbourne teammates were cleared of any personal wrongdoing by the NRL, fans have seized on the fact the champion hooker signed two playing contracts with the club as it cheated the cap.
Smith admitted to doing so, but said one was an NRL contract, and the other was an agreement he would stay at the Storm – and denied ever being told about payments being made outside the cap.
Cameron Smith has played more professional games than any other rugby league player dating back to 1908 – but many footy fans were unhappy after the Melbourne Storm great was added to the NRL Hall of Fame
Smith, 41, retired months after winning a premiership in 2020, but his failure to show remorse for Melbourne cheating the salary cap during his decorated career still gets the under the skin of countless supporters (pictured, with wife Barbara at the Hall of Fame gala)
Despite a remarkable career, Cameron Smith (pictured in the 2020 NRL grand final) remains a highly polarising figure
His wife Barbara being gifted a diamond ring by the NRL – believed to be worth $15,000 – in 2019 at an honorary private dinner celebrating Smith 400th NRL appearance also infuriates fans.
Last year Smith defended the Storm for celebrating their 25th season by bringing out their 2007 and 2009 premiership trophies during a pre-match ceremony to mark the occasion.
Responding to criticism from fans, Smith was unrepentant as he said ‘they wouldn’t understand the way we feel about it’.
‘The thing I want to get across is, I can understand why it’s annoyed a lot of people and that’s fine – as long as those people can acknowledge too that I don’t think those people understand the way that the Storm people in that period feel about it at all,’ he said.
Melbourne hoisted the trophy in 2012, 2017 and 2020 when cap compliant.
Back in 2010, then NRL boss David Gallop condemned the club after an audit found the Storm had been operating two sets of books to hide breaches from salary cap auditor Ian Schubert.
‘Through this system that they were able to attract and retain some of the biggest names in rugby league. In doing so they have let down the game, the players and the fans of the Melbourne Storm,’ Gallop said at the time.
‘It would be unfair on the players and fans of every other club in the competition to allow the Storm to retain the titles they won.’
In 2019 at the official NRL season launch, Smith controversially declared Melbourne should have their two premierships from 2007 and 2009 reinstated.
This footy fan doesn’t feel Smith should be in the Immortal conversation after ‘knowingly signing two different contracts’
Another supporter brutally labelled Smith a ‘blight on the sport’ on X
A graphic in 2022 from the Melbourne Storm incorrectly stated the club has won five NRL premierships, leaving some footy fans furious
Craig Bellamy and the Storm lifted the NRL trophy in 2007 (above) and 2009 but were stripped of both titles in 2010 due to salary cap breaches
It followed Cronulla emerging from their own salary cap scandal without losing their 2016 NRL title.
‘The clear difference for me is that there is a fair bit of time put into gathering all the evidence, the emails, all that sort of stuff,’ Smith said in comments which angered many fans from rival NRL clubs.
‘As far as looking at what happened at Cronulla and having the understanding of what I know happened at our club, it sounds quite similar…yet we were made to play an entire season without points (2010) and had (two) premierships taken off us.
‘It is almost like the same or similar crime with a completely different punishment.’
Smith also stated in the club’s inner circle they acknowledge the Storm have won five NRL premierships.
The club further angered fans by releasing a graphic listing the 2007 and 2009 title wins in a social media post marking coach Craig Bellamy’s 500th match in charge of the side.
