To start the week, Kevin Walters choked back tears just thinking about the people on the streets of Queensland.
On Thursday night, one of his best mates Gorden Tallis sat in a cold television studio and shed his own tears watching the Maroons coach on the small screen. Walters had legged it from Queensland training earlier in the day and stood in the Storm dressing room to present his son Billy, 25, with his first NRL jumper.
Tallis was thinking of Kevvie the man rather than Kevvie the coach infused by the whispering one.
Funny things happen to those north of the border at this time of year. Those except Cameron Smith.
Advertisement
The NRL metronome played his 399th NRL game on Thursday night, smack bang in the middle of a State of Origin period he used to dominate. Walters would kill for him to be sunning his back in Queensland camp right now preparing for a decider rather than trudging through the sludge in Wollongong.
Smith would have played few games in as miserable conditions, few games in front of less people and few with so many big stars out – his Storm and the Dragons had 11 Origin stars in the stands.
He had so much time, as he always does, he would tell his halfback Brodie Croft exactly what to do when he passed him the ball at certain stages as the Storm scrambled past the Dragons 16-14. In game 400 next week, it will be more of the same.
His trusty left boot racked up 2500 NRL points in No.399. The exact moment proved to be winning the act, a penalty goal which looked wonky in the wind, but still managed to squeeze its way inside the left upright.
"I dont think we can pump Cams tyres up any more than they are pumped up," said Storm coach Craig Bellamy. "Outside of finals games, I dont think this club will have a more important game than next week. Its a huge honour for Cameron and a huge honour for our club. Its a great honour to have Cameron play all those games at our club. Some people ask me what makes a good coach, it's good players. We should salute him next week because it's one helluva milestone."
The Dragons can argue until Smith arrives back in Melbourne whether Jacob Host should have been penalised for escorting Jahrome Hughes off a Walters kick. Smith won't care, nor will Bellamy. They picked up another two points for the seventh straight week, still six points clear on the top of the NRL ladder.
Win-WIN: Sandor Earl, Kenny Bromwich and Justin Olam celebrate the Storm's win on Thursday night in Wollongong.Credit:AAP
Paul McGregor was certainly more impressed with his team's effort than the contentious penalty against Host.
“Im very proud of the players in the shed with their performance,” said the Dragons coach.
“I dont think the game deserved to finish the way it did with the effort put in. I thought they found a lot in the second half at stages. Its a small win within a loss. Ill be interested to see what [referees' boss] Graham Annesley says on Monday. Ill wait and see.
“Were not getting any luck, but sometimes thats rugby league. It makes next week a little bit more important again.”
The Dragons were missing more than 1200 games of NRL experience through representative duty and injuries, but it didn't show in the first 15 minutes. Or in the man who crashed over for their first try.
Last week Jeremy Latimore dumped his car on the side of the road and hitched a ride on the back of a motorbike to make it to WIN Stadium, a faRead More – Source
[contf] [contfnew] 
Australian Breaking News Headlines
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
