‘Only people inside the four walls recognise it’: Teammates reveal why they are so confident Lindsay Smith will thrive on debut

Lindsay Collins may be the leader of the Kangaroos pack, but he was the one who was most excited to meet rookie Lindsay Smith when the players first got into camp, with the pair to play key roles for Australia in the Pacific Cup final on Sunday.

Smith is the headline act this weekend, with the Panthers prop to make his international debut against Tonga’s star-studded forward pack.

It’s a baptism of fire given Tonga has world-class big men in Addin Fonua-Blake and Jason Taumalolo leading the way, but Smith has earnt his place in the side after winning back-to-back titles with Penrith.

He’s forced his way onto the bench for Sunday’s clash, with Hudson Young promoted to the starting side after edge forward Cameron Murray was ruled out with a serious wrist injury.

Smith will bring some size off the bench, with Collins excited to play alongside the man who has caught his eye this season and could very well replace James Fisher-Harris in the Penrith front row in 2025.

“Lindsay is actually one player who I watched quite closely throughout the year,” Collins said.

“He does those little things well, and that’s what I probably recognised about him. I really enjoy watching him.

“When he got called into camp, I was excited to meet him as one front-rower to another. I got to know him, and he’s a great bloke on and off the field. He’s funny, smart and he gets that reward for the last couple of years he’s had.

“He’s consistent, so you know what you’re going to get from him.

“He has those little moments that probably only people inside the four walls recognise, not necessarily the punter in the stands. When you count up those small moments, that’s who you want in the team.

“He’s one of those guys who can win those small moments and is always in the right spot or is coming up with a little win that changes momentum. They’re small things but they end up snowballing into bigger things.”

Mitch Barnett made his debut against Tonga in the pool stage and has encouraged Smith to just be himself this weekend.

“He’s probably a bit similar to me,” he said.

“He doesn’t have to go out there and do anything special. He just has to do his job, and he does that really well.

“Understanding his game is probably the main thing that got him here.”