'Stuff was going on in my head': How Smith learned to block outside noise

Roosters rookie Sandon Smith plans to reach out to Nicho Hynes after revealing how Hall of Famer Cooper Cronk was among those to help him cope with the added scrutiny of wearing the No.7 jersey.

Like Hynes, Smith was subjected to heavy criticism after qualifying final losses but the pair bounced back as the Sharks and Roosters kept their premiership hopes alive with wins last weekend.

Thrust into the halfback role after Sam Walker ruptured his ACL just two weeks before the play-offs, it was the first time the 21-year-old had been exposed to such scrutiny and he admitted it had been difficult to deal with.

However, with the backing of Cronk, senior players and coach Trent Robinson, Smith bounced back in the best possible way as the Roosters eliminated the Sea Eagles with a 40-16 triumph at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.

"Being so early on in my career, I wasn't 100 per cent sure [how to cope with the added scrutiny],” Smith said. “I wouldn't say I didn't let it get to me; there was questioning, there was stuff going on in my head.

“But I went to guys like Kez [Luke Keary], Cooper Cronk, Teddy [James Tedesco], those older guys and leant on them, as well as my family, and the people that are close to me and mean a lot to me,” Smith said.

“They helped me through it. I sort of leant on them. All the boys, the coach and everyone in the club is really behind me and I'm feeling that belief.

“Everyone internally that really matters, they were consistent in backing me, they said. 'You belong here, you're here for a reason'.”

Like Smith, Cronk began his NRL career as an interchange utility and developed into one of the best halfbacks of the modern era.

After playing in seven grand finals for the Storm before joining the Roosters and steering the club to back-to-back premierships, Cronk was recently inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.

However, Smith had seen the criticism Hynes has endured since winning the 2022 Dally M Medal and admitted that added pressure and expectation came with wearing the No.7 jersey.

“I know Nicho, he's a Central Coast boy, as well, so I might have to give him a message,” Smith said.

“It's something you're going to have to get used to with the No.7 on your back. You've got to perform.

When the game comes, when those tight moments come, you've got to deliver. That's what everyone expects.

“It's definitely a learning curve, you've got to block it out sometimes.

"Those people internally in the club and the coaches, all the people that really matter and influence me as a person and a player, they're the people you've got to lean on in those times.”

Smith said Robinson had provided advice that would hold him in good stead for Friday night’s grand final qualifier against the Storm in Melbourne.

“You sort of sit around all week, and see things and hear things. You just want to make it right,” Smith said.

“I had a good chat with Robbo, and he said, 'take these lessons early in your career'.

"'As much as you didn't play how you wanted to play, we didn't play how we wanted to, there were a lot of lessons in there that you can take from it'.

“I sort of sat down and had a think about that and turned that negative into a positive. There was so much I could learn from and take into this game and further in my career.”