Billy Smith reflects on e-bike crash
Sydney Roosters center Billy Smith was shaking his head at youngsters racing e-bikes through the streets of his local neighbourhood.
“I live in Bronte Beach, I see 12 and 13 year olds flying by and I always judge them for going too fast and being careless,” Smith said.
Later Smith crashed his own e-bike He suffered a concussion while driving too fast in the Moore Park area and missed several NRL matches. The high pace at the start of the season led furious Roosters officials to order all their players to start wearing helmets and stop them from doing any aerial schmoozing.
“It’s funny how life turns out that way sometimes,” Smith said. “It was a good life lesson”
Roosters prop Lindsay Collins predicted as much at the time.
“He’ll learn his lesson; we’ll all learn our lesson from this,” Collins said. “The little child comes out of you and you can deal with it a little bit. However, you need to realize that these things are actually dangerous and be sensitive about these issues.”
The lack of parking at the Roosters’ training ground means many players use e-bikes and electric scooters to commute to work. Since his blow, Smith has opted for extra precautions and uses a heavy-duty helmet.
One of the first things Smith thought about after his accident was how Roosters coach Trent Robinson and chairman Nick Politis would react.
“Of course you jump to those conclusions,” Smith said Monday when asked about Robinson and Politis.
“I was pretty shaken up. I was just worried about my health and safety. That was a good lesson for me. I literally came off the bike and hit my head on the ground. It was a concussion, plain and simple.”
When Smith returned for the Roosters in round four, he re-injured his knee, had to have some cartilage removed and spent more time on the sidelines. He played only his third game of the season against Melbourne at the weekend.
“The knee took a little longer [to recover] More than I expected, and every time I got close to turning back, my knee would swell,” Smith said. “It was three steps forward, four steps back. I spent a few weeks focusing on my knee and training away from the team.
“Football is football, you’ll never be at 100 per cent, but the important thing is to put yourself in a position where you can perform at a high level. That’s my goal right now.”
Smith had a solid performance on the left wing against the Storm and is expected to start there when the Roosters play the Raiders in Canberra on Friday.
Daniel Tupou will remain on the wing until he returns from his calf injury, which is likely to be the Roosters’ next home game against Cronulla in round 16, which will be the club legend’s 300th NRL game.
Smith prefers to play at centre, but knows he must bide his time as Hugo Savala makes the most of a half-time change of position.
“We have such a strong squad and a strong squad that if you miss football games and someone plays well in your place, that’s [your position is] We’re up for grabs,” Smith said.
“It was great to see ‘Fluff’ [Savala] do his job. I even picked up a few things while watching him play. But I’m a center and I know I want to play there. He’s one and a half, he’s silky, and he brought that silkiness to the center position.”
Television cameras captured Robinson calling the players out on the law following their heavy defeat against the Storm, and Smith said it was almost “a line in the sand”.
The Roosters have one of the best squads in the NRL but they have lacked consistency and have struggled to make it to 80 minutes in every contest. They meet an in-form Ethan Strange, who has now spent time with the Raiders and in the Roosters’ system.
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