Storm star prefers AFL
Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 8:36 pm
Melbourne Storm star Cameron Smith has revealed he would have beaten Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau to the punch and crossed codes if offered an AFL deal.
Smith, 28, told FOX FOOTY's AFL 360 that if an AFL club had come to him with a big-money offer like those signed by his former teammate Folau and Hunt five years ago, he would have jumped at it.
The Storm captain said he has grown fond of the sport during his 11 years in Melbourne and has trained alongside some of the AFL's best players.
He is a close friend of Hawthorn midfield Shaun Burgoyne and watches more AFL matches than NRL games, he said.
"I've said to a lot of the boys at the Storm that I'd love to have one match of AFL," Smith said.
"I'd love to run out on the MCG and just have 10 or 15 minutes out ont he ground just to see what it's like.
"Being at live games you see how much work they do, how much work they do off the ball.
"I don't think watching it on television does it justice.
"They're tremendous athletes and I really enjoy the game."
Smith was supportive of Folau, who made his AFL debut against Sydney Swans on Saturday night.
"It's a totally foreign sport to him. He's only been there 12 months now," Smith said.
"He's played rugby league or rugby union his entire life and now he's gone to play a totally different sport.
"It (AFL) is 360 degrees, whereas in rugby league it's a tough sport, it's a high contact sport, but you know where you have to go.
"It's straightforward and you can see, most times, defenders coming at you.
"Here you need to have a lot more awareness. He's learning, he's still a new kid on the block, and I think he's doing OK."
Smith, 28, told FOX FOOTY's AFL 360 that if an AFL club had come to him with a big-money offer like those signed by his former teammate Folau and Hunt five years ago, he would have jumped at it.
The Storm captain said he has grown fond of the sport during his 11 years in Melbourne and has trained alongside some of the AFL's best players.
He is a close friend of Hawthorn midfield Shaun Burgoyne and watches more AFL matches than NRL games, he said.
"I've said to a lot of the boys at the Storm that I'd love to have one match of AFL," Smith said.
"I'd love to run out on the MCG and just have 10 or 15 minutes out ont he ground just to see what it's like.
"Being at live games you see how much work they do, how much work they do off the ball.
"I don't think watching it on television does it justice.
"They're tremendous athletes and I really enjoy the game."
Smith was supportive of Folau, who made his AFL debut against Sydney Swans on Saturday night.
"It's a totally foreign sport to him. He's only been there 12 months now," Smith said.
"He's played rugby league or rugby union his entire life and now he's gone to play a totally different sport.
"It (AFL) is 360 degrees, whereas in rugby league it's a tough sport, it's a high contact sport, but you know where you have to go.
"It's straightforward and you can see, most times, defenders coming at you.
"Here you need to have a lot more awareness. He's learning, he's still a new kid on the block, and I think he's doing OK."
