“Not good enough”: Smith backs Parker's call for longer ban for Blues forward

Rugby league legend Cameron Smith has backed former teammate Corey Parker’s call that Manly Sea Eagles and NSW Blues forward Haumole Olakau'atu should have received a longer ban from the NRL after his part in the Origin III brawl.

Olakau’atu was suspended for two games, along with Cameron Murray, after he joined in the brawl, which spilled onto the Queensland Maroons bench in the series decider at Suncorp Stadium, despite not even playing in the game.

Parker last week called for the forward, who played the first two games of the series to be banned for six weeks, and Smith echoed his comments this morning.

“When you hear Graham Annesley talk and you hear people representing the NRL talk about the mums and dads at home and what they see and what the children are looking at… I think there was an opportunity for the NRL to take a tougher stance, particularly on Olakau'atu,” Smith said on SENQ Breakfast.

“I know he came out and said he was just sticking up for his mates but at the end of the day, you just cannot do that.

“You’re not part of the game, you’re actually not a part of the match. Dressed in a suit on the sidelines and going in and putting your hands on a player… a two week suspension for that, that’s just not good enough.”

Smith said it sent a bad message to junior rugby league players.

“There’s kids out there watching that at State of Origin going ‘oh well those guys playing State of Origin can do that so I’ll just go and do it’,” he said.

“I guarantee that’s what they do because whatever they see on TV, they try to emulate that. They try and be like their heroes on TV.”

The Blues won the decider and the series with a 14-4 victory in Game III.