Smith has always insisted he would continue to play for Australia and Queensland for at least another year but he told a press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s opening State of Origin in Brisbane that he would make a decision on his representative future at the end of this season.
Thurston has already announced his representative retirement after the World Cup and there are doubts about whether Cronk will play at all beyond the tournament following his decision to leave Melbourne to spend more time with fiancée Tara Rushton, who is based in Sydney in her role as a Fox Sports presenter.
However, Smith, who played his 50th Test for Australia in Canberra on May 5 and will line-up in his 40th Origin for Queensland on Wednesday night, said their departures would not influence his thinking and he was more concerned about the toll on his aging body of playing up to 40 matches per season.
“I’m not saying [I’ll stand down] and I am really keen to play on but I think I will have a clearer idea at the end of the season. It’s a big year, close to 40 matches.
“At this stage I feel really good, both physically and mentally. I love playing representative football but I’ll have a clearer picture at the end of the season about what I want to do.”
The potential retirement of Smith, Thurston and Cronk at the same time could be compared to when Australian cricketing greats Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh bowed out together in 1984 or Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer played their farewell Test at the SCG in 2007.
In both instances, Australia lost the next Ashes series but Smith said he felt no pressure to stay on and help with the transition of the Kangaroos or Maroons teams without Thurston and, possibly, Cronk.
“None of us know how long we’ve got left, really. Only Johnathan has put an end date on it,” Smith said. “Cooper’s future is up in the air as well.
If he plays every pool and play-off match in the World Cup and the Kangaroos make the final, Smith will be just three matches short of Darren Lockyer’s record of 59 Tests for Australia. He is also behind only Lockyer (38) for the most Tests as captain after leading the Kangaroos for the 27th time in Canberra.
Smith (39) has already surpassed Lockyer (36) for the most Origin appearances and is just nine games short of breaking his record of 355 NRL matches, while the Melbourne hooker has enjoyed more wins (242) in his NRL career and kicked more goals (950) than any other player.
Should Smith announce his representative retirement and Cronk decide to hang up his boots after the World Cup, Australia’s opening match against England in Melbourne would give Storm fans an opportunity to farewell the star duo.
Queensland supporters are already hoping the Kangaroos make the final in Brisbane so they can honour Thurston’s remarkable representative career and would no doubt extend the celebrations to include Smith and Cronk if it was their last match in Australian colours.
By Brad Walter | @BradWalterSport
Chief Correspondent, RLWC2017