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Sandon Smith says he should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Andrew Johns as he prepares to guide Newcastle into the NRL grand final wearing the famous No.7 jersey.
Sandon Smith can feel the weight of the Newcastle No.7 jersey he is wearing. It is the jersey made famous by Andrew Johns and earmarked for injured $14 million teammate Dylan Brown.
Smith spoke at a media session at Knights headquarters on Tuesday ahead of the biggest game of his career. He said he should not be compared with Johns, the eighth Immortal and the best player the game has seen. People have spoken about Joey Johns today, and I feel like I should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as him at this time, Smith said.
He is the best that has ever played this game, and he is a huge inspiration for myself, this squad, and this town as a whole. Smith said he tries not to think about the weight of the famous jersey. He said the team still has full belief internally in what it can do, even after finishing with the wooden spoon last season. The Knights are the ultimate underdog story, and no man encapsulates that better than Smith.
Smith Arrival Spurs Knights Resurgence
He was deemed surplus to requirements at the Roosters due to the arrival of Daly Cherry-Evans and the presence of Sam Walker, Hugo Savala and Toby Rodwell. Smith arrived in the Hunter as a back-up to first-choice playmakers Brown and Fletcher Sharpe. Instead, he has been at the forefront of a resurgence that could result in the most unlikely NRL premiership of them all.
The last halfback to steer the Knights to a decider, a quarter of a century ago, was Johns. When the eighth Immortal attended a training session before the win over South Sydney in the first week of the finals, Smith was star struck. There was a bit of an aura with him walking around training, Smith said.
It was pretty cool to see him there, so hopefully we will see him this week or get a little video message from him or something. We will draw off his inspiration and go after it. The Roosters signing of Daly Cherry-Evans for 2026 meant there was a glut of playmakers at Bondi Junction, and something had to give. Smith was the one to make way.
It is a decision the Roosters may come to regret come Sunday, but there is no bad blood over the 26-year-old departure. Nah, not at all, Smith said. The motivation is to win a grand final for the Newcastle Knights. You do not need any more motivation than that, so that is the only thing that will be on my mind, and I will be focused when Sunday comes.
Pearce Draws Pearson Transition Parallel
There were no bad vibes, no remorse at all. I loved my time there, they are a great club. But I am a Newcastle Knight now, and that is what I will be focused on, getting the win for us. Smith is not the first Roosters playmaker to end up at the Knights after being discarded in favour of a shiny new toy.
Mitchell Pearce made the same transition when Melbourne maestro Cooper Cronk joined the glamour outfit. I did not even think about the similarities with Sandon and Daly until you pointed it out, Pearce said. I think the move has really suited him.
There will not only be that fire in the belly to do it for Newcastle, but I would imagine he will also be wanting to get it done against the old club that could not find a spot for him. From my experience, the Roosters are that high-profile glamour club with a lot of support, and the Knights are working class with a deep connection to the old boys and love the underdog mentality.
Do not ask me to pick a winner because I love them both. It will be a great story whoever wins it. They both deserve to win it. I am really glad for Sandon.
It is never a burden wearing Andrew Johns old jersey. I always saw it as a privilege to pull on Joey No. 7. It helps when the community always gets around you. Smith later pleaded guilty to negligent driving.
Personal Struggles Build Football Resilience
The Central Coast product escaped conviction given the freak nature of the incident and the remorse Smith showed for his part in it. It was just another experience Smith feels has steeled him for the biggest moment of his footballing career. There are so many things over your life, not only football, but your life and your career, that build you up for these moments and consistently build your resilience and strength, Smith said.
They all help me towards this moment, and I am confident in my own ability and this team ability that we will be able to go out on Sunday and do a job. In the preliminary final against the Panthers, Smith played the game of his life. It included two long-range tries, including a late intercept that secured the result.
One more win and he will become the only Newcastle halfback not named Andrew Johns to steer his team to glory. Yet where he fits into the side when Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Brown are all fit remains unclear. That has happened just three times. On those occasions, Smith has been used as a bench utility.
But if he guides the Knights to the most unlikely premiership of all, does he tip Brown out of the No.7 jersey? I do not know, mate, Smith said. I will not think about that until next year. We have got a grand final to win, and then we have got a season to go and relax, so I will think about that when it comes next year.
brisbanetimes 
smh:‘Shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence’: Knights No.7 feeling weight of Joey’s jerseyThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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