Rugby league greats Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns agree Brandon Smith will transition to Sydney life with ease despite a recent string of off-field issues.
Smith over the weekend found his name in the spotlight for the wrong reasons when it was revealed he was being investigated by the NRL after allegedly making an unprofessional comment during an interview.
Nine’s Danny Weidler reported that Smith, who he says has now been warned by future club the Roosters that he will become a media target in Sydney, was heard allegedly using a pidgin English term that has several meanings of a sexual nature around Papua New Guinean star Xavier Coates, who was getting interviewed at the time.
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The notion that Smith would not fit in at the Roosters next season amused Johns, who jokingly referenced the star hooker’s situation with Rolling Stones icon Keith Richard.
“Brandon Smith-Eastern Suburbs, what could possibly go wrong?” Johns joked on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and The Eighth.
“Brandon plays hard, trains harder… Keith Richards.”
But the eighth Immortal quickly changed his tune, saying Smith is smart enough to fit in without any hiccups.
“He will be fine, he’s not a mug. He’s a smart bloke,” Johns added.
Smith has since told Melbourne officials that he didn’t know what the pidgin English word he allegedly said meant, and that he heard the same comment being used by other players, according to Weidler.
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Fittler said Smith’s recent string of off-field incidents should get his mind in the right place before joining the Tricolours next year.
“If anything, he’s finding out in Melbourne that these little things that are happening at the moment, which aren’t too severe, but maybe they’re tidied up before he gets to Sydney.”
The 25-year-old was fined and suspended last year alongside teammates Cameron Munster and Chris Lewis after a video emerged of the three players in a hotel room with a white substance on the table.
Smith will join the Roosters in 2023 after he signed a three-year deal with the club in December.
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