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There have been moments when Lindsay Smith felt the weight of the world on his reconstructed shoulders.
Smith, the rising Penrith prop who has just signed a two-year extension that will keep him at the foot of the mountains until the end of 2026, has long been in the club’s sights. Discovered at 12, contracted from 15 and playing alongside the likes of Campbell Graham, Bronson Xerri, Dylan Brown, David Fifita and Spencer Leniu as part of the Australian Schoolboys side in 2018, Smith appeared a man in a hurry.
The rapid rise, however, stalled unexpectedly. A right-shoulder problem, possibly the result of his cricketing exertions – he was a promising fast bowler who made state representative teams in his teens – required surgery. Specialists suggested the left shoulder, which had also become painful, should go under the knife, too.
“I was playing with Campbell Graham and I think he was already playing first grade at that time,” Smith said.
“I thought everything was going the way I wanted and then, obviously, the next year was the year I had the double-shoulder reco, so that put me back in my place.”
The result was a year on the sidelines at a time when he was putting pressure on himself to make his mark.
Lindsay Smith during the Panthers’ clash with the Warriors in week one of the finals.Credit: NRL Photos
“From time to time, there’s things that come up in life that you have to get through,” he said.
“Mentally, you’ve got to get through some hurdles, especially if you put a lot of pressure on yourself. At a young age, I sort of did that and didn’t really understand the balance of footy and life outside of that.
“It took me a while to get through that and understand that there’s a balance in life.”
Around the same time, there were other triggers that prompted Smith to prioritise his mental health.
“I never saw a sports psychologist, but I’ve seen other psychologists at the time when I was going through a rough period when I was younger,” the 23-year-old said.
“Mental health is a big part of anyone’s life and if you’ve gone through any type of mental health [issue], whether it’s any sort of severity, it’s a pretty big deal.
“You’d like to hear more people talk about it because it’s not talked about enough. It’s something that I wish more people talked about because that helped me.
“I went through just a period of anxiety when I was a bit younger that I had to get through.
“That’s what I was talking about before with a bit of pressure that built up with a lot of other things. It just put me through a little rough patch, back when I was a bit younger in my teen years.
“Nothing too severe, nothing that was too life changing, but it was enough to sort of scare me at the time. It gave me the aspect that there’s more to life than just footy. I guess at the time, I was so invested in trying to be the best footy player I was.
“And along with a lot of other things, it sort of sent me spiralling a little.”
Smith has come out the other side and is now a key member of the Panthers’ tilt at a three-peat. After making his NRL debut in 2021, the Westfields Sports High School product has become a mainstay of the Penrith pack. He has made 21 NRL appearances this year.
It justifies his decision to prioritise football over cricket, although he derives his nickname from a different sport altogether. Former teammate Tyrone May christened Smith “Larry” due to his uncanny likeness to Boston Celtics NBA legend Larry Bird.
“It’s nothing to do with my basketball ability,” Smith said.
Bird led the Celtics to a basketballing dynasty. Smith now has the chance to be part of one with the Panthers.
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