BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

Wally Lewis is one of the greatest players we have ever seen. He is ‘The King’ and adored up in Queensland. He was the face of those bloody Cane Toads in State of Origin and then the Brisbane Broncos.

He dominated New South Wales.

And he wasn’t afraid to shove it back in the opposition’s faces as he did it.

Wally was untouchable.

Too good.

But even ‘The King’ knew that any time he flew across the border and into Kingsford Smith, all bets were off.

God knows how many times over the years he’s heard ‘Wally’s a wanker!’ or ‘piss off back to Queensland, Wal!’

It’s all part of the dance.

You’re nobody until you’re hated by an entire state.

Some of the media coverage on Cameron Smith recently has been really ugly.

Embarrassing stuff. And yeah, fans on social media can say some pretty shit things at the best of times.

The fact is, there’s sections of the public that don’t like or agree with some of the things Smith or the Storm have done in the past.

Sydneysiders don’t like Melbournians and vice versa (mostly).

Now add one of the biggest names in the history of Queensland rugby league into that Storm machine… haters are gonna hate.

The worst thing the NRL could have done is ask fans to not boo Smith this Sunday.

That’s like a red rag to a bull.

“Cameron is a legend of the game,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.

“He’s done what nobody else has done and that’s bring up his 430th game… he is a player every fan would secretly love to have on their team.

“I’ll be disappointed if he gets anything other than absolute respect and recognition. Regardless of who fans support, everyone respects the remarkable achievements of Cameron Smith.

”He is one of our greatest ever players.”

Sorry Andrew – this is Hollywood.

Bright lights, heroes, villains and a grand final to be won.

Billy Slater, who sensationally escaped suspension for what appeared a blatant shoulder charge in the 2018 preliminary final, was bombarded by boos in the ’18 decider.

Fair game.

“I don’t mind fans being patriotic and that’s what makes our game great. We just need to be careful it doesn’t turn into abuse. We’ve cracked down on racial abuse, which is fantastic, but abuse is abuse and we need to make sure everyone is respectful to our players and everyone in the game,” Slater told The Sydney Morning Herald.

There is a difference between downright abuse and giving it to the player you love to hate the most.

It’s all part of the sport.

There will be 40,000 rugby league fans at ANZ Stadium this Sunday who have forked out their own hard-earned coin in the middle of a pandemic to support their sides. Most of them will be Panthers supporters who have been waiting 17 years for a premiership.

Don’t tell them they can’t boo Cameron Smith.

It’s not all bad for Cameron.

The louder they boo, the more they fear you.

Funny how it works.

@woodward_curtis