Cameron Smith has added another accolade to his ridiculously overstocked trophy room, taking home the 2017 Dally M medal.
The Melbourne Storm, Queensland and Australian captain beat out North Queensland halfback Michael Morgan and St George Illawarra captain Gareth Widdop to claim the award for the second time in his career.
Smith led the Storm to their second-consecutive minor premiership in a row, and will lead the team into the NRL Grand Final on Sunday against the Cowboys, eyeing off a second premiership.
Cameron Smith has added another accolade to his ridiculously overstocked trophy room, taking home the 2017 Dally M medal
Smith, like his AFL counterpart Dustin Martin, was the prodigious favourite for the game’s highest honour after another age-defying season from the 34-year-old.
He led the Storm through another season as the benchmark team, losing just four games along the way.
Smith was top 20 in try assists, line break assists and tackles, another remarkable achievement for a player who debuted in the NRL 15 years ago.
The Melbourne Storm, Queensland and Australian captain beat out Michael Morgan and Gareth Widdop to claim the award for the second time in his career
His club, state and country teammates Cooper Cronk (far right) and Billy Slater (far left), who have two and one Dally M medals respectively, have provided the backbone to an unparalleled decade of success at every level
The unassuming Smith, who has been labelled the game’s greatest ever player by that title’s consensus pick Andrew Johns, is one-third of the greatest collection of talent rugby league has ever seen.
His club, state and country teammates Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, who have two and one Dally M medals respectively, have provided the backbone to an unparalleled decade of success at every level.
Their collective success has become almost boring, which also fits the narrative of the game’s greatest ever dummy-half who has been nicknamed ‘the accountant’ by players and fans because of his unassuming appearance and demeanour.
Family man: Smith (pictured kicking with son Jasper at a training session) is a father-of-three
Little is known about Smith’s private life – including his love for anything with an engine
Smith (pictured with David Beckham) is jokingly called ‘the accountant’ by fans and friends for his body type
Smith married his high school sweetheart Barbara in 2011 after teasing her as a footy-loving skinny teenager in Year 10 at Logan City’s Marsden High School.
The adoring couple now have three young children – Jada, Jasper and Matilda.
Smith still owns his first car, a 1971 Holden Kingswood he calls his ‘pride and joy’, and is an unapologetic revhead with a collection of motorcycles to match.
An ambassador for Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Smith’s social media accounts are littered with pictures of him posing alongside powerful V8’s and GTS’s.
One of his cars, a ‘jungle green’ HSV GTS GEN-F2 with a top speed of over 260km/h, has a price tag of almost $100,000.
But Smith is not one to splash cash or boast about his wealth, taking a pay cut to remain a one-club man and stay with the Storm despite huge offers to return to his hometown and play with the Brisbane Broncos in 2015.
The softly-spoken hooker commands respect on the field – as captain for his club, state and country – and is known to put his body on the line for his teammates.
Just last week, when Jordan Kahu cheaply dove on close friend Billy Slater’s legs after the prolific fullback scored a try, Smith was first to stick up for his mate.
While the microphones didn’t pick up the exact words, it’s believed the passionate spray included a number of choice swear words directed straight at Kahu.
Revhead: Smith, an ambassador for Holden, poses with his $100,000 ‘jungle green’ HSV GTS
Smith boycotted Channel 9 after they aired a segment with paraplegic league player Alex McKinnon and didn’t allow him to respond to allegations
In a 60 Minutes special, McKinnon accused Smith of being insensitive to his injury in the moments after it occurred
Last week, Smith went off at Jordan Kahu (left) after he cheaply dove on teammate Billy Slater
But arguably Smith’s boldest moment came off the field, when his family’s reputation was brought into disrepute after an incident involving league player Alex McKinnon.
McKinnon, who was left paralysed after a dangerous tackle turned him on his head in 2014, accused Smith of being insensitive to his injury in the moments after it occurred during a 60 Minutes special.
Channel Nine aired the piece without approaching Smith for comment, infuriating him as reporters hounded him and his family for comment in the coming weeks.
Smith boycotted all pre and post match interviews with the network in response, only returning when Channel Nine issued a ‘long overdue’ apology 12 months later.
‘I don’t call it the “Alex McKinnon stuff”… It’s the “60 Minutes stuff”,’ Smith later told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘That was pretty ordinary. More so for my family I was upset. My family had to sit through that and answer questions about it.’
Smith, who openly admits he doesn’t have ‘the typical body shape for a rugby league player’, credits his smarts for allowing him to stay at the top for over a decade.
‘I’ve never been the biggest or the fastest so I’ve had to be a bit quicker between the ears. Maybe that’s helped me get around the field and stay in the matches every week,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Online bookmakers are offering $1.05 odds for Smith to take out the Dally M medal, while next in line contenders Daly Cherry-Evans and Gareth Widdop are at $12.
Smith married his high school sweetheart Barbara in 2011 after teasing her as a footy-loving skinny teenager in Year 10
The adoring couple now have three young children – Jada, Jasper and Matilda
Smith, who openly admits he doesn’t have ‘the typical body shape for a rugby league player’, credits his smarts for allowing him to stay at the top for over a decade
Online bookmakers are offering $1.05 odds for Smith (pictured with wife) to take out the Dally M medal