One of rugby league's greatest halfbacks, Andrew Johns, has called on the Melbourne Storm to switch Cameron Smith into the No.7 jersey to unlock its stuttering offensive game.
While the Storm currently hold a 2-1 record on the season, Craig Bellamy's side has failed to crack the 20-point mark in all three of its matches, managing just six against the Canberra Raiders last weekend.
Amid suggestions that Raiders star Josh Hodgson had surpassed Smith as the best hooker in the game, Johns suggested that moving the 36-year-old into the halfback role would allow the Storm to utilise his vision and playmaking more effectively.
"The Storm have had this really robotic structured style over the years which has worked so well because they're so well drilled," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour.
"When (Cooper) Cronk left, but even when he was still there, they haven't had one of those really natural halves who looks up and plays what they see, they've really relied on their structure.
"Now with the quicker ruck, I thought last week they tried to rely on their structured play too much.
"No one plays better looking up and scanning the defence and playing what he sees than Cameron Smith.
"We've seen Cameron do it on the field when he plays dummy half and sometimes he gets out and plays first-receiver and he's so dangerous because he's such a freakishly skilled player."
Famous for his role in the No.9 jersey, Smith has started just seven of his 414 NRL matches in the halfback position, with the most recent coming in the 2014 season.
Smith's understudy, Brandon Smith, has been touted as next in line for the Storm No.9 jersey, and the move could allow both Smiths regular playing time alongside each other.
"I don't see Jahrome Hughes as a natural halfback," Johns said.
"I think Brandon Smith is an out and out starting (calibre) player, we've seen that for the last couple of years."
The Storm will look to get back in the winners' circle this week when they host the South Sydney Rabbitohs at AAMI Park
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/andrew-johns-why-cameron-smith-should-move-into-halfback-role-brandon-smith-hooker-melbourne-storm/db36eca9-d0b9-458d-8922-07bb13a7bf4a
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