Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:23 am  

Nice to see how little Andrew Johns actually thinks of Super league.
Just read an article where he's advised Cameron Smith to move to super league at the ripe age of 37. He's said Super league would be perfect for him at this stage of his career, and could play another 2-3 years over here and could play with a cigarette in his mouth.
Now i may have taken his comments the wrong way and he's trying to point out how good Cameron Smith is, or was, as he's not the player he used to be. But i read that as super league is a sub standard league where even though he's closing in on 40 and isn't as good as he used to be, he can't carry on in the NRL but come over and smash it over here.
For me this just points out how below the NRL aussies still think we are.
Interested to see if other people have read it and take it a different way to how i perceive it.
I just take it as disrespectful from a player i admire.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:07 am  

Talking about John's there is a great piece by Paul Cullen on his signing back in '05. Christ 15 years ago! It's on the Sports app on SkyQ.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:33 am  

Matt King's kitten wrote:

Talking about John's there is a great piece by Paul Cullen on his signing back in '05. Christ 15 years ago! It's on the Sports app on SkyQ.

I remember that day like it was a few weeks ago, remember the floor feeling like it was bowing when we were jumping after we scored a try

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:00 pm  

I don't get upset about comments like this. Their league IS superior to ours. It gets more attention from their media too. Just as it is the reverse with football. The Aussies were drooling over the likes of Emile Heskey and Dwight Yorke going over there when they were past their "best before date" over here.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:17 pm  

I don't see the issue with what Johns is saying.

The difference between Super League and the NRL is blindingly obvious. It's like comparing the English football premier league and the Scottish premier league - Massive gulf in quality.

If Cameron Smith brought his present quality to our league, he would absolutely nail it. Any SL club signing him would get obvious criticism for his age, but I have little doubt he would be worth any outlay - with a half decent side around him he would get them a SL title, barring any major injuries.. in fact, I'd actually swap one of our present marquee salary players for him in a heartbeat.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:59 pm  

Or thane wrote:

Nice to see how little Andrew Johns actually thinks of Super league.
Just read an article where he's advised Cameron Smith to move to super league at the ripe age of 37. He's said Super league would be perfect for him at this stage of his career, and could play another 2-3 years over here and could play with a cigarette in his mouth.
Now i may have taken his comments the wrong way and he's trying to point out how good Cameron Smith is, or was, as he's not the player he used to be. But i read that as super league is a sub standard league where even though he's closing in on 40 and isn't as good as he used to be, he can't carry on in the NRL but come over and smash it over here.
For me this just points out how below the NRL aussies still think we are.
Interested to see if other people have read it and take it a different way to how i perceive it.
I just take it as disrespectful from a player i admire.

Johns is correct in that NRL is far superior to SL. Smith coming over here is all hypothetical, but who knows, after all we've signed GI. The comment about playing with a ciggy in his mouth is a bit of a daft way of emphasising a point, and now I cannot get the image of Chizzy with a cigar in mouth holding up the challenge cup at Wembley, out of my mind.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 2:39 pm  

MorePlaymakersNeeded wrote:

Johns is correct in that NRL is far superior to SL. Smith coming over here is all hypothetical, but who knows, after all we've signed GI. The comment about playing with a ciggy in his mouth is a bit of a daft way of emphasising a point, and now I cannot get the image of Chizzy with a cigar in mouth holding up the challenge cup at Wembley, out of my mind.

ha ha ha ha it's in my head now aswell

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:13 pm  

This comment is just a bit of harmless mickey-taking, Johns is also projecting about himself here though as I very much doubt Cameron Smith has ever smoked cigs...if he came to SL he'd be the model pro, a role model to his team mates and would be fantastic for the image of the sport as he's intelligent and humble with the media. You can see why the idea of tearing up the Poms with a cig in his mouth appeals to Johns though as he is more that kind of personality. I wouldn't hold this comment against Johns but over the years I've grown used to being disappointed by him. He was a fantastic player but he's a flawed person. The Inglis thing was what really put me off him. I can still respect him as a player and I'm glad Warrington signed him and we got to see him on the field in our jersey but sometimes you get a window in to what your heroes are really like and the sheen comes off. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/ ... reg-inglis

This comment is just a bit of harmless mickey-taking, Johns is also projecting about himself here though as I very much doubt Cameron Smith has ever smoked cigs...if he came to SL he'd be the model pro, a role model to his team mates and would be fantastic for the image of the sport as he's intelligent and humble with the media. You can see why the idea of tearing up the Poms with a cig in his mouth appeals to Johns though as he is more that kind of personality. I wouldn't hold this comment against Johns but over the years I've grown used to being disappointed by him. He was a fantastic player but he's a flawed person. The Inglis thing was what really put me off him. I can still respect him as a player and I'm glad Warrington signed him and we got to see him on the field in our jersey but sometimes you get a window in to what your heroes are really like and the sheen comes off. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/ ... reg-inglis

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 5:50 pm  

wow i've never read that before, genuinely didn't think he was the type to ever say anything like that.

Re: Andrew johns on Cameron Smith : Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:57 pm  

Much of it tongue in cheek.
The basis of what he saying is right. We were getting Johns late in his career. Not the debut, but he was to play 12 month with Newcastle and return to Wire for a 2 year deal that would have seen him at Wire around 37 too, but we all know what happened.

However there’s nothing wrong with a 37 year old plus. Some players are legendary are playing late in there careers because the are professional in approach to their self discipline, and that is what elevates their game.
I’d have had Steve Menzies at Wire at 40, no problem.