The game felt bruised and battered that night. There had been a string of off-field incidents, culminating in Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne dodging a bullet fired at him in Kings Cross.

"On behalf of today's players, I would like to pay tribute to the champions who dug the well," said Smith, "and I offer our commitment that we will in turn do everything in our power to pass rugby league on to the next generation in even better shape than it is today."

Eight years on and the boneheaded ways of a select few continue to stain the code.

On Thursday, as the Kangaroos side came together at Coogee ahead of the Four Nations, the captain was asked if he was angry that little had changed.

"Absolutely," he told this column. "I don't see why it's so hard to be a good person and do the right thing. I understand there are going to be issues that arise all the time. That's life. That's not just sportsmen. We all go through ups and downs. But the ones I get really annoyed and upset about are the avoidable situations that footy players get themselves into. I don't understand why they have to be there at that time to get in that strife.

"I hear all these things about, 'I'm not a role model, I'm just here to play footy'. Unfortunately, when you get the opportunity to play in the NRL, that's what it is. Somewhere, out there, there's someone who aspires to be like you. You need to accept that responsibility. You should know what the wrong or right decision is. Make the right one. That's what I am asking players to do."

Smith said this without mentioning Sharks prop Andrew Fifita or Eels winger Semi Radradra, who were overlooked for the Four Nations tour because of their off-field issues.

Radradra is facing domestic violence charges and faces court in Sydney on November 28 – eight days after the final is held at Anfield in Liverpool.

The integrity unit is still looking into Fifita and his use of armbands supporting one-punch killer Kieran Loveridge. According to a Fairfax Media report, he is considering walking away from the game. As more than a few point out, Fifita needs rugby league more than rugby league needs him.

Indeed, if you removed a select dozen or so individuals from the 400-or-so players in the NRL, you probably aren't reading this column.

The NRL and commission chairman John Grant have decided to draw a line in the sand, not with their big toe but a Caterpillar D4 bulldozer.

"I firmly stand behind Mal [Australian coach Mal Meninga]," Smith said of the decision to ban Fifita and Radradra. "We really need to set standards in our sport."

Behind closed doors at League Central, there's a concession that it erred in picking Radradra for the Prime Minister's XIII match, especially when the jumper he was playing in was emblazoned with support for a campaign against domestic violence.

It was an embarrassing gaffe from the league – policy on the run at its worst – but that doesn't mean banning Fifita and Radradra was the wrong call.

Like many fans, Smith doesn't buy into the argument that the responsibility of ensuring a player does the right thing rests with the club or game or manager or anyone else.

It rests with the player.

"They're young men playing our game – but they are men," he says. "They're not boys. I'd like to think everyone playing in our competition knows the difference between wrong and right. It's not up to welfare officers to call you up and see what you're doing 24 hours a day."

As for his memorable speech in defeat after the Storm's grand final loss to Cronulla last Sunday, Smith doubts he has won over the Sydney crowd.

He was booed as he took the stage but applauded as he left the stage.

"Fans are passionate about their teams and there wouldn't be many times when they have seen their side beat the Melbourne Storm," Smith says. "So I understand that it's easy to dislike a guy like myself. I totally get that. That's sport. They don't have access to NRL players like you do, you don't get to see the person. I think they saw a small part of what we're about the other night."

Then a laugh.

"But they'll go back to hating me next year!"

'ET' pic one for the ages

It will never surpass the iconic image of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons, but the picture of Sharks captain Paul Gallen and club legend Andrew Ettingshausen embracing each other, in tears, after the grand final is one for the ages.

For many, though, the sight of Ettingshausen front and centre on grand final night raised a few eyebrows.

According to some of his former teammates, "ET" has been aloof and distant from the club for many years – although he's willing to help out when asked.

There's also lingering distaste about his much-publicised affair with the wife of former teammate Paul Mellor, an episode he blamed on depression caused by bad financial decisions.

For the record, the NRL decided to use Ettingshausen – and retired Storm legend Matt Geyer – as on-field talent on grand final day. That's why he was so visible in celebrations.

In the eyes of many, it was great to see a club legend of his stature welcomed back into the fold.

He had every right to be celebrating with a club he helped – in no small part – to build.

Holt's stepson not a Sharkie

The surviving stepson of the late Harold Holt is hardly doing backflips over the Sharks' win.

Jack Gibson's immortal line – "Waiting for Cronulla to win the premiership is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt" – was finally put to rest with grand final victory.

The reference is to the former Prime Minister who disappeared while swimming near Portsea in 1967 – Cronulla's first season in the competition.

So said Sam Holt when we contacted him this week: "It's quite a witty line – but I didn't know about it until a week ago. I have no interest in sport. As long as they think of him [Harold] fondly, I have no problem with it."

Bias complaints miss the point

There's nothing more amusing than complaints about biased footy commentary.

Channel Nine has copped it in the neck this week for their "biased" coverage of the NRL grand final, with an unlikely protagonist in Channel Ten newsreader Sandra Sully who took to Twitter to condemn the "bias" towards the Sharks.

We love you, Sandra, as you know … but really?

You can surely understand the callers being enthusiastic about the Sharks edging closer and closer to their maiden premiership 50 years after joining the competition.

As Nine sports boss Tom Malone pointed out when we contacted him, Phil Gould, Peter Sterling, Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler, Darren Lockyer and Wally Lewis are paid to have a say.

"They're our rugby league experts," he said. "They're paid for their opinions. The only person who gets paid for neutral commentary is Rabs [play-by-play caller Ray Warren]."

On the road again: Kate Peck, Todd Kelly, Matt Campbell and Rick Kelly on their road trip. Photo: Supplied

Q&A: Rick Kelly

We speak to the two-time Bathurst winner as he prepares for another assault on the Mountain for Nissan this Sunday.

Your road trip from Melbourne to Bathurst each year is becoming almost as iconic as the race itself.

We've done it for 15 years. We always wonder if we'll have any trouble along the way, given the cars are so old. We drove a 1963 Datsun Bluebird station wagon this year. It's hard to be in a rush when you're in something like that. About 95km/h is where she is happy. We dress up in the vintage clothes from the same era as the car. I was wearing some nice flashy pants.

What do you learn about Bathurst with each year you race in it?

The first thing you learn about this place is that it demands respect. You see it every year. Someone comes unstuck significantly. You need to treat the place with a lot of respect, you can't go out flat-stick straight away. You work up to it. You need a car that's nice and comfortable, not too edgy at the top of the hill, and as the weekend progresses you build that confidence in yourself and the car.

How spent are you physically after the race?

It depends on how the race is run. You have to keep your nutrition and hydration up all week. By the time Sunday comes, it's already been a big week. Depending on how the race pans out, you might need to do a triple stint at the end of it, which has happened to me the last few years. If your car is misbehaving, you really have to hold on tight.

And what do you remember when you did win alongside Greg Murphy in 2003 and 2004?

It's an incredible moment because I grew up watching it. I've been coming to the track for 20 years. You walk out onto the podium and there's thousands of people screaming at you. It's insane.

The week

THE QUOTE

"FIFA dropping in to check on the FFA is like Elvis popping round to make sure you're eating properly". – Great one-liner from MC Adam Peacock while interviewing Steve Lowy at the season launch for Sydney FC.

THUMBS UP

DeSean Jackson, the Washington Redskins wide receiver, wore custom-designed boots featuring police caution tape to protest the shootings of unarmed African Americans. "I felt like I've been silent long enough," he said.

THUMBS DOWN

It's the best run club of any code in the country … but how did the Sydney Swans get it so wrong in failing to have an open fan day after the AFL grand final? The Swannies say it was only going ahead if they won, which doesn't make it right.

It's a big weekend for … the Wanderers, who haven't beaten Sydney FC in over a thousand days. The pair clash in the Sydney derby at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

It's an even bigger weekend for … the Wallabies. Again. They meet the Pumas at Twickenham before flying back to Auckland to play New Zealand before heading to Wales for the start of the Spring Tour. Wheeeeeeee!