Wait there, hold my beer, I found a candy that is rare.

As LeBron James swung his sword of power and slid into Los Angeles Lakers folklore, Cameron Smith was kicking back during State of Origin, enjoying a couple days free time and playing games for Melbourne Storm during the Origin window for the first time in 15 years. Queensland Maroons have seen all their greats retire in quick succession, but the absence of Smith was undoubtedly the biggest and was juxtaposed against Smith leading the Storm to a streak of wins during this Origin window.

James and Smith is an obvious comparison due to their talents. They may not win the MVP every year, they are the most influential players in their respective leagues based purely on helping their teams win and their durability is bonkers. James and Smith show up every week, for the whole season, for over a decade and win games.

Off the sports field, the comparison gets deeper. Being the most influential players in either league extends to everything they do off the sports field, with the best example of this begin Smith's presence as the leading player voice in any Rugby League Players Association discussion with the NRL; when Smith throws his weight in, shit's gonna happen. Same goes for James and with all the weird stuff going on in USA, the NBA leads the good vibes thanks to the influence of James.

Oh, and James can shut down the whole league for a few days while he makes his free agent moves.

Smith played a major, super duper power move in retiring weeks out from the start of State of Origin. I don't know why, but for whatever reason Smith decided that was the best decision and best time to make the decision. This differed greatly to the retirements of Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Jonathan Thurston, all of whom announced their retirements and then retired after the series.

That didn't leave Queensland in a great position. Smith didn't want the fuss of playing through a retirement series though and all power to him, it's cool to be low key.

Knowing what we now know about the prickly nature of Smith and his relationships in footy, I'm eager to see how Smith plays out the rest of his career in Melbourne. I don't want to dwell on the apparent dramas of Smith's friendships and this would be equally as interesting if the Storm big three were all best buds. That's merely a starting point as it came around the same time as Smith's rep retirement and LABron.

Sources and wild reports suggest that Smith is off contract this season. Slater is also off contract and I think it's completely rational for them both to play on as they are both still the best in their positions. The injury history of Slater could push him towards retirement though and from a #KiwiNRL perspective, the presence of Jahrome Hughes makes this a lovely time for Slater to step down.

I'd love Slater to keep playing, but it just feels as though retirement is the likeliest option. That would then leave Smith to lead the Storm and having watched the Storm during this Origin period, whether it's with or without their Origin crew, Smith still wins games of footy almost by himself. It always has to centre around whether the player, Smith in this case is good enough to maintain their position or adapt to a different role as they enter their twilight years and like LeBron, Smith is definitely still good enough.

The niggle around Smith could open the angle for Smith to flex all over the rugby league world and show that he can do it alone. Not alone in terms of at the Storm where they have many high quality players, like a team full of them, but alone in terms of the ol' big three. Cronk's gone, Smith and Slater are still potent and the team still wins. Cronk and Slater are gone, Smith's still leading a winning Storm program.

To do so, would fire Smith's legacy into rare air. With the niggle in mind, I'm sure Smith would love to differentiate himself from the big three and to do so at his age would only bolster his achievements. Craig Bellamy re-signing as coach until the end of 2021 would only help this and Smith will know better than most, the type of young talent that will only get better in the coming years in Melbourne; Suliasi Vunivalu, Brandon Smith, Curtis Scott, Felise Kaufusi, Jahrome Hughes, Josh Addo-Carr, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, Will Chambers, Brodie Croft and Dale Finucane are all signed on long-term deals.

There is also the 400 game tag lurking on the horizon, which Smith could pass in another season or two (372 games). To be the longest-serving player ever and to not only show that he can still be highly competitive without Slater or Cronk, perhaps win a Premiership without them, must be a big carrot for Smith. Smith and LeBron are savvy, they know the narratives around them, they know the perceptions around their careers and they also share an intricate knowledge of the media in either sport.

Smith has a chance suss out his narrative, to not only firmly establish himself as the best footy player ever but to be the guy that stuck around with the new wave and kept the Storm rolling forward. Retiring from rep footy and putting his focus solely into his Storm duties, which includes refreshing with time off, already points to Smith perhaps wanting to put the Storm at the forefront and ensure that everything is aligned with Storm success.

Also playing a factor here is the emergence of Brandon Smith, which has been a #KiwiNRL pleasure. Brandon was head-hunted by the Storm from North Queensland Cowboys as a replacement for Cameron, telling you all you need to know about Brandon's potential. With Cameron playing 80 minutes every week and not playing Origin though, there are no hooker minutes available for Brandon.

Brandon has demanded selection, primarily as a middle forward coming off the bench for Melbourne. Some of this may be due to injuries, but even with someone like Finucane back in the team, no one else can do what Brandon does and the sheer intensity he plays with gives the Storm a different look when he's on. Simply; Brandon Smith is so good at footy that he needs to be in the 17.

Thanks to the unique ability of Brandon, there's no need to rush this transition period and because Brandon offers value as a bench forward, it's beneficial for Melbourne to have both Smiths in the team. Brandon has had to show that he can be effective as a middle forward, to earn that regular bench spot and that's exactly what he's done, while also allowing Cameron to ease up, get into halfback when he wants etc.

We have already seen a blatant example of the Smith influence as Queensland went down 2-1 in Origin while Melbourne Storm have won their last six games. All signs point to Smith remaining a footy wizard for at least a couple more years and while there won't be a big free agency move to a rival like LeBron, Smith's legacy and control of his narrative will establish him a'top the footy perch. The LeBron move will be doing the opposite of what LeBron has done, for Smith to play on with Melbourne Storm, with equal power and control as LeBron.

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Peace and love 27.