Cooper Cronk has played alongside Cameron Smith for 14 NRL seasons and says the Storm's skipper's exceptional consistency is the key to his longevity and success in the game.
Smith will surpass Brisbane great Darren Lockyer's mark and play a record 356th NRL game in Melbourne's qualifying final against Parramatta on Saturday afternoon at AAMI Park.
Cronk says the biggest compliment he can give Smith is that there has been such a tiny margin between his best and worst games during his long career and says that's reflected in Melbourne's achievements.
"The gap between his first, second, 100th, 200th and 355th game in terms of his performance is about that much," said Cronk signalling about one centimetre.
"His best to his worst is minute and for a leader of a team, whether it's state, country or club, if your captain is playing at that consistent level it filters down to the group.
"Most of the good things that happen at Melbourne Storm involve Cameron Smith."
Cronk, at 33 six months younger than Smith, said his captain hadn't changed much physically during his career but felt his "football smarts" had improved over time.
"He's probably losing a bit more hair but he's physically still in the same condition," the halfback said.
"He's obviously got smarter and wiser with the way he efficiently uses his energy through the game and he's probably picked up some more rugby IQ in terms of smarts and breaking down the opposition."
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