Cam Smith Steps In: Origin II Preview & Munster’s Moment

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Hi everyone, welcome to the latest edition of the Billy Slater podcast thanks to Tad. But we don't have Billy this week. He's coaching a game that goes for eighty minutes on Wednesday night, but so he doesn't have time to do a podcast. But the man that will put him over for at least one hundred of his one hundred and ninety tries, Cameron Smith, is filling in.

Hello, Cam, he sold he great to be here.

I think Billy's agreed to give up some of his fee as well too for you.

That's good and it'll be plenty as well if I know Billy quite well. So yeah, I'll take one little snippet. You get some too, don't you? No?

But I might this week, beautiful, Let's take some exactly, all right, we're looking forward to Wednesday night in Perth. It's going to be a terrific occasion. Once again, what just general terms, what do you think of Queen's Yeah.

Well, you know, clearly they're under a fair bit of pressure for this one, going down one nil already at home, in particular, losing a few games on the trot. Now there's there's sort of there's a lot at stake for this, for this footy side, But look, I think they're up to it. I think listening to players comments throughout the week, you know, listening to Billy talk, they're well.

Aware of where they went wrong in game one.

I think they were bitterly disappointed with their performance and a bit to do with that was I think their attitude towards the foota game and the way they started that match. They really didn't put themselves in the game at all. And when you're playing against a footy side as good as the Blues have at the moment, it's a it's a pretty impressive lineup.

When you give them that.

Much field position, that much possession of the football, it's always going to be really hard to win. So look, it's a it's a huge task in front of them.

But when you look at you know, the names.

On on the paper for Queensland's lineup, they've got some pretty good players there and it's certainly not out of their reach to go over there and play well. They're going to have to. They're going to have to play extremely well to get a victory. So you know, I'm really looking forward to It's going to be a cracking match.

You've seen the new Queensland skipper Cameron Munster grow up. Apparently he has grown apparently has grown up.

Yeah, yeah, Well I was lucky enough to play about six seasons with Cam Munster. He come down to us as a really young fellow. He's eighteen year old. Actually played filled in for Billy Slater in twenty fifteen twenty sixteen. Billy had back to back shoulder reconstructions and played extremely well. I must admit in those two years. We went to a Grand Final actually in twenty sixteen. But to see him develop into the player that he is now and the leader that he is now, you know, I'm excited

Stuff, and which he is. But when it comes to his footing, he's deadly.

Serious about getting out there and performing well, particularly when he pulls on that Marown jersey.

You know, he's a.

He's watched you know, pretty much every state of origin since he was a little fella. He's very passionate about the jersey. He's passionate about the people of Queensland. So I think I think this a little bit of extra responsibility for him. It just gives him that that much greater ownership of this footy side.

So you know, I'd love for him to go out there and play really well.

One thing that he's always had is teammates just love playing with him. And you know, now that he's got the responsibility of leading team. May you think, as he said, he'd rallih that, won't he?

Yeah? I think so. Look, he's not going to shirk it.

He's he's a He's a type of guy that really doesn't get overawed by too many things. I think he understands the size of this occasion and what it means for the Queensland side. But you know, I think he'll relish the opportunity in front of a big crowd.

As I said, big occasion.

Just that little bit of extra responsibility for him, though, you know, he doesn't need to go out there and do anything different to what he usually does. There's a reason why Billy he's made him captain, and that's because of what you said, Soldi is that you know, all of his teammates love playing alongside him. You know, he's a type of guy that you know, when you when you look at all the big games that he played he's played in throughout his career, you know he's he's a.

Type of guy that that typically.

Lifts his team when they look sort of down and out.

So he's going to have to play that way again come Wednesday.

Now, Cam, I want to talk to you now about three powerful players brought to you by Ampole powering Australia's own sporting nation. Of course, going to focus on State of Origin game two. Why don't we have a look first up at Trentley Aero. He's wearing the number thirteen jersey off the bench in his debut in game one, but starting this week at Lot.

Yeah, I think that's a lot of people have been talking about that decision by Billy, but you know he as coach, Billy, he spends a lot of time with Trentley.

Erro in the Melbourne Storm set up.

As we know, Billy does a little bit of coaching there, so he sees him on a regular sort of basis, and he knows a lot about his game.

I think the reason for starting him is more around the work rate and.

Defense and how reliable he is with his tackling. And he comes out of a good system at the Melbourne Storm where.

He's got a high work rate.

He may not offer what some of the other guys on the bench off with the football, but when you're looking in those early early periods fifteen twenty minutes, you want guys out there that you know exactly what.

You're going to get from them. And I think that's why he's gone with Trent.

The other one in the team back to play his twelfth origin is Kurt Caple, who's been playing well for the Warriors.

Yeah, well, you know he played in Game three, I think it was last year. As we know, that was a classic state of origin, was it for all? I think until the last fifteen minutes until there's a couple of pretty special efforts from Jerome Leui and Mitch Moses to break the game open. But you know, again, just another reliable guy that I think Billy. I think he likes having a couple of those guys in the team that they can play multiple positions.

And you know exactly what you're going to get from them.

So when you come into a situation like this, I must win match, it's good to have.

Those reliable And we spoke about Leiro starting in thirteen means Pat Carrigan off the bench. How do you think that changes things from Patty's point of won of Wally Lewis Medal basically coming off the bench.

And I think that's the mindset from Billy is that, you know.

I think through his time as coach of the Queensland Morons, I think he looks at that series where Pat Carrigan won the Waally Lewis Medal and sees that as his best series so far, and the entire series was from the bench. So I think he's looking for a bit of impact from him and I think probably just trying to take him out of those early exchanges where you know, you get bashed up a little bit. You know, he'd be making plenty of tackles you playing in the middle

All Right, So that's enough on origin. Now each week on the Billy Slatter podcast. I know you'd know this because you listen to it religiously, but there's the Billy m Awards that Billy does do. We're not going to look at any of any of the games from the weekend or anything like that, but just which team has impressed you. By the way, Billy came up with the name of those.

Awards, but the Smithy Ms, the Smithy Ms.

Okay, which teams impressed you the most in the first half of the season.

Well, I think the obvious one is the Dogs.

I think they are a serious footy team. You know, when you look at some of the other clubs in the competition, you know, the I guess there's probably more sort of high profile players running around, but they're just getting the job done at the moment, and they're doing a fantastic job.

I love the way they play.

I guess the surprise packet for me though is as Raiders. I didn't have them anywhere near the top four this year. I don't know how many people did. But again, they're they're fine and away. They've got their own unique style of playing footy and they're playing tough and when they get a bit of a roll on, they're really hard to stop.

Like that. They've got a big, aggressive footy.

Side and their back line like their entire back line like they are athletes. So you know, Ricky Stewart and all of the Canberrader players, they're they're up and about at the moment. So I guess at this point they've been the surprise packer for me.

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Which players have stood out for you?

Name one or two, probably Luke metcalf I reckon over at the Warriors and they are another team sort of going about their business pretty quietly but effectively.

I guess and Warriors there.

For me, I think they've surprised many by how lofty position they've got at the moment on the table. But yeah, I think he's doing a fantastic job. But I love the way he just takes the game on as a half. Don't see too many of those type behalves.

These days, you know.

They tend to spend a lot of the time sort of passing pre line and all that sort of stuff.

But this, this young fellow is a runner. He loves getting high involvement.

Taken on the defensive line, and he's doing some great things for the Warriors.

He certainly is.

Now, this won't surprise you, or might surprise you, but that's it.

We're done.

I know you're used to doing three hour podcasts and the like, but that's it.

Oh mate, I don't even break a sweat.

You're just getting warmed up.

Seriously, and what you're saying, Billy gets paid for this.

He usually goes a little bit longer.

This is a joke, right, Hey, good luck Bill, and you're welcome. Thanks care