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Dodgy knees almost sabotaged Smith's shot at Parramatta glory

Posted by 1Eyed Eel on September 27, 2009 at 9:07am
PARRAMATTA back-rower Ben Smith has revealed he almost quit rugby league last year due to chronic knee injuries. After spending the majority of his career in the centres, Smith has reinvented himself as a forward in recent seasons. The 24-year-old has fought back from stints in the lower grades to now be a likely grand finalist and potential premiership winner. Smith, who was told that his knee problems would affect him later in life, said he almost quit after a frustrating end to 2008. ''This time last year I wasn't going to come back to pre-season,'' Smith told The Sun-Herald yesterday. ''I've had a bit of an up and down time, especially last year with injuries. The knees weren't going that well … It was at a stage where my knees weren't recovering and getting better. ''I just thought 'maybe I've done my dash with football'. FULL STORY
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  • RealEel September 27, 2009 at 6:48pm
    His line speed and leadership in defence was outstanding against the Bulldogs. He has really developed into a hard hitting, hard working second rower.
  • Camo73 September 27, 2009 at 7:05pm
    I watched the replay of the game last night and was really impressed by Ben Smith's defense. He made some really important hits and played the most solid game I've seen from him.
    • 1Eyed Eel > Camo73 September 27, 2009 at 8:00pm
      His defence was so effective because he's such a monster, he didn't just bring the guy down he stopped the play dead, caused a slow play the ball and prevented the Dogs rolling forward. I reckon this happened at three or four absolutely vital times at the match. I hope his knees hold together because he will be back in rep calculations next year.
      • RealEel > 1Eyed Eel September 27, 2009 at 8:07pm
        We'll need that again against the Storm, their game is built around a domination of the ruck and the speed of the play the ball.
  • ELECTRIFYING MAXFORCE EELS 2014 September 27, 2009 at 8:16pm
    HIS BEST IS TO COME IN GRAND FINAL HES DEFENCE WILL BE ON ANOTHER LEVEL
  • Burty September 27, 2009 at 8:32pm
    Ben Smiths combination with hindy is why no one are scoring points against us
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