Sandon Smith was discarded by the Roosters and brought to Newcastle to serve as back-up for Dylan Brown, the halfback described as the club's $14 million man. His brief was to sit behind Brown in the pecking order at the position. Instead, the young player now wears the Knights' No.7, the jersey tied to Andrew Johns. If the club wins a premiership with him in the halfback role, Smith would be its first premiership-winning halfback since Johns himself. Smith is wary of the comparison, saying his name should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Joey's just yet. He admits he can feel the weight of the famous old jersey.