On Tuesday, Smith spoke at a media session at Knights headquarters, acknowledging the legacy of the jersey he now wears. "People have spoken about Joey Johns today, and I feel like I shouldn't 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's a huge inspiration for myself, this squad, and this town as a whole."
Smith was squeezed out of the Roosters due to a glut of playmakers, including the arrival of Daly Cherry-Evans and the presence of Sam Walker, Hugo Savala and Toby Rodwell. He arrived at Newcastle as a back-up to first-choice playmakers Dylan Brown and Fletcher Sharpe, but has instead been at the forefront of the team's turnaround after finishing with the wooden spoon last season.
The last halfback to steer the Knights to a grand final was Johns, a quarter of a century ago. When Johns attended a training session before Newcastle's win over South Sydney in the first week of the finals, Smith was starstruck. "There was a bit of an aura with him walking around training. It was pretty cool to see him there, so hopefully we'll see him this week or get a little video message from him or something. We'll draw off his inspiration and go after it."
The Roosters' decision to let Smith go may come back to haunt them on grand final day, but Smith holds no bad blood as he prepares for the biggest game of his career.