Sandon Smith can feel the weight of the Newcastle No.7 jersey he is wearing – the one made famous by Andrew Johns and earmarked for injured $14 million teammate Dylan Brown – ahead of a grand final against the Roosters team he was squeezed out of.
“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 says while doing the rounds at a media session at Knights headquarters on Tuesday.
“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 …
“I try not to think about it. I know the weight of what we’ve got on our hands at the moment, but we still have full belief internally in what we can do.”
The Knights are the ultimate underdog story, and no man encapsulates that better than Smith. Deemed surplus to requirements at the Roosters due to the arrival of Daly Cherry-Evans and the presence of Sam Walker, Hugo Savala and Toby Rodwell, Smith arrived in the Hunter as a back-up to first-choice playmakers Brown and Fletcher Sharpe.
Instead, he has been at the forefront of a resurgence that could result in the most unlikely NRL premiership of them all, after Newcastle finished with the wooden spoon last season.
The last halfback to steer the Knights to a decider, a quarter of a century ago, was Johns. When the eighth Immortal attended a training session before the win over South Sydney in the first week of the finals, Smith was star struck.
“There was a bit of an aura with him walking around training,” Smith says. “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’ signing of Daly Cherry-Evans for 2026 meant there was a glut of playmakers at Bondi Junction, and something had to give. Smith was the one to make way. It’s a decision the Roosters may come to regret come Sunday, but there’s no bad blood over the 26-year-old’s departure.
“Nah, not at all,” Smith says. “The motivation is to win a grand final for the Newcastle Knights. You don’t need any more motivation than that, so that’s the only thing that’ll be on my mind, and I’ll be focused when Sunday comes.
“There were no bad vibes, no remorse at all. I loved my time there, they’re a great club. But I’m a Newcastle Knight now, and that’s what I’ll be focused on – getting the win for us.”
Smith is not the first Roosters playmaker to end up at the Knights after being discarded in favour of a shiny new toy. Mitchell Pearce made the same move transition when Melbourne maestro Cooper Cronk joined the glamour outfit.
“I didn’t even think about the similarities with Sandon and Daly until you pointed it out,” Pearce says.
“I think the move has really suited him. There will not only be that fire in the belly to do it for Newcastle, but I’d imagine he’ll also be wanting to get it done against the old club that couldn’t find a spot for him.
“From my experience, the Roosters are that high-profile glamour club with a lot of support, and the Knights are working class with a deep connection to the old boys and love the underdog mentality.
“Don’t ask me to pick a winner because I love them both. It will be a great story whoever wins it. They both deserve to win it.
“I’m really glad for Sandon. It’s never a burden wearing Andrew Johns’ old jersey – I always saw it as a privilege to pull on Joey’s No. 7. It helps when the community always gets around you.”
Starting over at a new club isn’t the only hurdle Smith has had to overcome. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to negligent driving after being involved in an accident that resulted in a pedestrian losing two toes.
The Central Coast product escaped conviction given the freak nature of the incident and the remorse Smith showed for his part in it. It was just another experience Smith feels has steeled him for the biggest moment of his footballing career.
“There are so many things over your life – not only football, but your life and your career – that build you up for these moments and consistently build your resilience and strength,” Smith says.
“They all help me towards this moment, and I’m confident in my own ability and this team’s ability that we’ll be able to go out on Sunday and do a job.”
In the preliminary final against the Panthers, Smith played the game of his life. It included two long-range tries, including a late intercept that secured the result. One more win and he will become the only Newcastle halfback not named Andrew Johns to steer his team to glory.
Yet what where he fits into the side when Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe and Brown are all fit – something that has happened just three times – remains unclear. On those occasions, Smith has been used as a bench utility. But if he guides the Knights to the most unlikely premiership of all, does he tip Brown out of the No.7 jersey?
“I don’t know, mate,” Smith says. “I won’t think about that until next year. We’ve got a grand final to win, and then we’ve got a season to go and relax, so I’ll think about that when it comes next year.”
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