E-Bike Mishap Serves as Wake-Up Call for Sydney Roosters Players
Sydney Roosters centre Billy Smith admits he used to be one of the many who’d scoff at youngsters zipping around on e-bikes. Living near Bronte Beach, he’d often witness 12 and 13-year-olds whizzing past, a sight that prompted him to inwardly label them as reckless and overly speedy. “I always judged them for going too fast and being reckless,” Smith recounted.
Life, however, has a funny way of delivering lessons. Smith himself experienced a jarring reality check when he crashed his own e-bike while riding too fast around the Moore Park precinct. The incident resulted in a concussion and a stint on the sidelines, forcing him to miss several NRL games. This high-speed mishap at the beginning of the season spurred an intervention from Roosters officials, who subsequently mandated helmet use and discouraged any “skylarking” among the playing squad.
“It’s funny how life turns out sometimes,” Smith reflected. “It was a good life lesson.”
His teammate, prop Lindsay Collins, had foreseen the potential for such an incident. “He’ll get his lesson – we’ll all get our lesson from it,” Collins had predicted. “The little kid comes out inside you, and you can muck around a bit on it. But you need to realise these things are actually dangerous, and you need to be sensible on them.”
The logistical challenge of limited parking at the Roosters’ training facility means many players opt for e-bikes and electric scooters as their primary mode of transport. Following his own close call, Smith has adopted a more cautious approach, now sporting a heavy-duty helmet on his rides.
Upon recovering from his crash, Smith’s initial thoughts were on the potential reactions of Roosters coach Trent Robinson and chairman Nick Politis. “Of course you jump to those conclusions,” Smith admitted when questioned about their responses. “I was pretty banged up. I was just worried about my health and safety. It was a good lesson for me. I literally came off the bike and hit my head on the floor. It was a concussion, plain and simple.”
The setbacks didn’t end there for Smith. Upon his return to the Roosters in round four, he unfortunately reinjured his knee, requiring cartilage removal and leading to further time off the field. He only managed to play his third game of the season against Melbourne on the weekend.
“The knee took a little longer [to recover] than I had hoped, and every time I was close to getting back, the knee would swell up,” Smith explained. “It was three steps forward, four steps back. I took a couple of weeks to focus on the knee and trained away from the team.”
Despite the challenges, Smith is focused on his return to peak performance. “Footy is footy, you’ll never be at 100 per cent, but it’s about getting yourself in a position where you can perform at a high level. That’s my goal at the minute.”
Smith demonstrated a solid performance on the left wing against the Storm and is expected to retain that position when the Roosters face the Raiders in Canberra on Friday. He is set to continue on the wing until Daniel Tupou recovers from a calf injury. Tupou’s return is anticipated for the Roosters’ next home game against Cronulla in round 16, a match that will also mark the club legend’s 300th NRL game.
While Smith’s preferred position is centre, he understands the need to be patient, especially with Hugo Savala making a strong impression after shifting from the halves. “We have such a strong squad and strong roster, if you miss games of footy, and someone plays well in your spot, it’s [your position is] up for grabs,” Smith stated. “It’s been cool to see ‘Fluff’ [Savala] do his thing. I’ve even taken a few things away from watching him play. But I’m a centre, I know that’s where I want to play. He’s a half, he’s silky, and he’s brought that silkiness to the centre position.”
Recent television footage captured coach Trent Robinson addressing the players sternly following their heavy loss to the Storm, a moment Smith described as a significant “line-in-the-sand moment.” The Roosters, despite boasting one of the NRL’s most talented rosters, have struggled with consistency and maintaining intensity for the full 80 minutes. Their upcoming challenge against the Raiders includes facing an in-form Ethan Strange, who has prior experience within the Roosters’ development system.
