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News.com.au
26-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘This is my home': Sandon Smith not worried by Daly Cherry-Evans rumours after his stunning performance on Anzac Day
Sandon Smith has seen and heard all the rumours of playmakers being linked to the Roosters, but he's not worried about the innuendo as he showed that the future is already here with a career-best performance on Anzac Day. The 22-year-old was simply superb in his first Anzac clash against the Dragons, with the five-eighth in complete control as he scored two tries, kicked seven goals and set up a try in the 46-18 win at Allianz Stadium. His 22-point haul was two shy of Sam Walker's tally from last year's match, with Smith claiming man-of-the-match honours despite spending 10 minutes off the field for a high shot. He's contracted until the end of 2026 but sees the club as 'home', with an extension on the cards even though the club has been linked with Daly Cherry-Evans. 'I try not to buy into it too much,' he replied when asked about the club being linked to rival playmakers. 'You see it all over social media and stuff these days, but I can only control what I can control, and that's playing good footy, training hard and working hard. 'I just try to control the controllables. 'I haven't thought about an (extension) but I know that this is my home. 'The people in the building – the belief they show me when things are up and down – they constantly tell me to back myself and go and play the game they know I can play. 'It's home.' Smith has had to step up and play a more dominant role after veteran Chad Townsend was dropped, with the five-eighth combining well with youngster Hugo Savala It's been a tough couple of months to start the season with big wins over Penrith and the Broncos mixed in with disappointing losses where they seemed in control but couldn't execute on the scoreboard. Smith described 2025 as a 'rollercoaster' but was grateful of the support he'd been shown by Trent Robinson, James Tedesco and the rest of his teammates. 'I've just got to keep believing in myself,' he said. 'Credit to Robbo and Teddy and the whole playing group because they constantly show their faith and belief in me. That helps me to dig deep and keep working hard to be a good player.' An ELITE pass from Tupou and Sandon Smith delivers the first try ðŸ'¥ ðŸ'° Watch #NRLRoostersDragons on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 25, 2025 The big stage was no concern for Smith who looked like Walker at times with his short kicks and running game wreaking havoc against an exhausted Dragons side. 'I didn't realise until this morning how big of a day Anzac Day was,' he said, with Smith opening the scoring after just two minutes before he doubled his tally when he sped past Clint Gutherson. 'We were in a hotel in the city, and when I woke up there were people marching through the streets and at one point a jet came flying past and nearly blew my head off. 'It was such an awesome day. It's such an honour to play in.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sandon Smith shines as Roosters thump Dragons
Sandon Smith has ignited the Sydney Roosters' season and sent a message that he can be a long-term playmaker for the NRL glamour club after starring in a 46-18 win over St George Illawarra. Smith scored two tries and kicked seven goals to chalk up 22 individual points as he won the Ashton-Collier Medal and piloted the Roosters (3-5) to victory in front of an Anzac Day crowd of 41,021 at Allianz Stadium on Friday. The five-eighth even spent time in the sin bin for a high tackle on Lachlan Ilias but that was the sole blemish on arguably the most-impressive display of his 36-game NRL career. "His positioning was in the right spot, and you can see he has got really great vision," said Roosters coach Trent Robinson. "When he plays like that, he sees a lot. "To handle 10 minutes (in the bin) and then come back on and continue that was really nice." Like his side, Smith's performances have been up and down to start 2025. And at a time when the Roosters have been consistently linked to bringing outgoing Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans to the club, Smith could have been forgiven for feeling like he was on borrowed time. But the 22-year-old's performance will give Robinson hope that along with Sam Walker, who is set to return from knee surgery in the next six weeks, Smith can be part of a long-term halves combination for the Bondi club. Sandon Smith is having a DAY! 🔥#NRLRoostersDragons — NRL (@NRL) April 25, 2025 The pressure was on Robinson's men heading into Friday's game where a loss would have sent the Roosters to the bottom of the NRL ladder for the first time since 2016. But they hit the ground running when Smith scored in the third minute. He dug into the line to create a right-to-left spread and then backed up Daniel Tupou on the inside to receive the winger's flick pass and cross. The Dragons hit back five minutes later when Val Holmes jolted the ball loose from James Tedesco and winger Sione Finau raced 80m to score. But that was about as good as it got for Shane Flanagan's side in the first half as Mark Nawaqanitawase powered over to push the Roosters further ahead. After converting Nawaqanitawase's try, Smith added a penalty goal and then grabbed his second when he scooped up a loose ball and dummied past Clint Gutherson to give his side a 20-6 halftime lead. "The first half cooked us ... We had just 29 per cent of possession," said Dragons coach Flanagan. "I could tell at halftime we were looking for answers and we were out on our feet." Smith's dream afternoon hit a snare soon after the break when he was sin-binned for a high shot on Dragons halfback Ilias. Smith's 10-minute absence did nothing to slow the Roosters down with bench forward Blake Steep tricking Gutherson with an identical dummy. Kyle Flanagan scored for the Dragons just before Smith returned but the Roosters No.6 didn't miss a beat, setting up Tedesco straight after coming back on to the field. The Roosters fullback added his second and set up halfback Hugo Savala in the final five minutes.
