Roosters star Brandon Smith has issued a strongly-worded response after it emerged he had angered fans after his side’s heavy loss to the Storm.
After going down 30-16, Smith was spotted laughing and catching up with his former Melbourne teammates after playing his first game after a nine-week sideline stint due to a broken finger.
According to The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley, Smith’s jovial post-match manner enraged some rusted on Roosters fans after another disappointing performance.
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To make matters worse, Trent Robinson’s side now sits in 14th with only seven wins to their names and their chances of making the finals slim to none.
Speaking on the Jam and Cheese podcast, Smith explained he was simply happy to be back on the field and was also excited to catch up with some of his closest friends.
“I guess it is not ideal to be happy after a loss like that, especially with the season on the line,” Smith said.
“But those guys I am talking to, I have genuine love for those guys. I’ve just got through a footy game, I haven’t played in nine weeks and I get to see my best mates.
“I’m having a laugh, at the end of the day footy is your job and my life, I would like to be happy with my life.
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“If I can’t enjoy moments with my mates after a game you can pretty much go and get f****d.”
Crawley, who wrote the article Smith was responding to, explained why having a laugh after a poor performance wasn’t a “good look”.
“I watched it on Saturday night… it caught my eye that he was sitting out there and their season had just crashed and burned,” Crawley said.
“Having a good old chinwag with his former mates from Melbourne, and to be honest it didn’t bother me… but I know some Roosters fans who it did bother.
“I guess what I took out of what Brandon just said is the fact he said ‘footy is my job’.
“I think sometimes the players need to read the room and understand the majority of the fans that follow this club through thick and thin, after what had happened in that game.
“To be on the field joking around is just not a good look. I know the players have changed… times have changed, but in this instance even save it for the room after the game.”
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“I think next time in hindsight, Smithy would just go in the dressing rooms, he can go and have a beer and sit in there for 20 minutes,” league legend Gorden Tallis added.
“But it is sort of rubbing salt in the wounds.”
Meanwhile The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio was of a different opinion and pointed to the footage of the Roosters in the dressing room.
He explained the vision proved that Smith alongside his teammates were visibly shattered with their chances of making the top eight slipping through their grasp.
“I think we have come to learn that Brandon Smith is a little bit of a different character, and so I don’t have a massive problem with it,” Riccio said.
“I’ll tell you why, because I have got the image in my head of the dressing room of which Fox Sports were able to capture, it looked like a morgue.
“There I saw Brandon Smith, he was shattered there. Catching up with ex-teammates, I don’t have a big problem with it.”