If things had gone differently, Ryley Smith might have begun his professional sporting career pulling bouncers over the leg side for NSW rather than passing Steedens out of dummy half for Parramatta.
Smith’s rugby league talents have earned him selection in every game of Jason Ryles’ first season as coach, but the hooker was more than a handy cricketer as a teenager in the Blue Mountains.
In fact, at 18 Smith became the first man since Bronko Djura in the 1980s to be picked in both the Australian schoolboys rugby league team and its cricket equivalent.
A top-order batter with handy wicketkeeping abilities, Smith had earlier been selected for a tour to Dubai, where the Australian under-16 team faced Pakistan in a five-match series in 2019.
“That trip to Dubai when I was 15 was one of the most memorable moments of my life. I learned a lot of life lessons,” the 22-year-old told AAP.
Smith counted former Test cricketers Ryan Harris and Chris Rogers among his coaches on a rise that could have ended in a professional cricket career.
But at 19 Smith held a contract in Penrith’s rugby league junior system and found himself at a crossroads, needing for the first time to choose between his two great sporting loves.
Going with his gut and the advice of loved ones, Smith turned his back on the willow and leather to dive into rugby league.
“It was just what I thought was in my best interests at the time and I sort of just put my head down and put all my eggs in one basket, into one sport,” he said.
“I felt like that wasn’t something I could really do when I was younger, I couldn’t just focus on the one. I thought I’d better make my decision.”
For Smith, there appeared more chances to make the big time – and more of a home to be found – in rugby league.
“There’s better opportunity with footy,” he said.
“Cricket you get to travel the world a bit more, which was something that was pretty cool that stood out to me.
“When I was at Penrith, Penrith was my home at the time, and now I’m here at Parramatta and this is my new home.”
Smith still tries to head out for a nets session every now and then, and impressed his Parramatta teammates at a team indoor cricket session in the pre-season.
They have been just as impressed with his rise from relative obscurity to NRL selection this season.
“Coming into first grade, he’s certainly shown that he belongs here. There’s a reason why he’s in our team, he just competes on everything,” said Eels prop Junior Paulo.
Smith played only a handful of NSW Cup games in his first season after arriving at the Eels from Penrith, but won over Ryles after joining the NRL squad for his first pre-season over the summer.
Injuries to Joey Lussick and Brendan Hands cleared the path for him to start in last week’s upset of Wests Tigers, with the hooker holding his spot to face Cronulla at Magic Round.
“It’s all happened pretty quick. I wasn’t really thinking of playing NRL this year, and now I’m starting,” Smith said.
“I just sort of thought I’d put my head down and train really hard and anything could happen, and I guess the best has happened.”
