HARRY Smith knows one thing – what you see with Mikey Lewis is not what you get.
Yes, you get a damn good rugby league player, who is aiming to take Hull KR a huge step closer to double glory.
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No, you do not get the wind-up merchant seen on camera tussling with opponents most weeks when he is alongside him for England.
Wigan half back Smith’s battle with his opposite number is the headline event of tonight’s summit meeting with Hull KR.
A Rovers win will take them six points clear of the Warriors with five matches remaining. Wigan completing the double over Willie Peters’ side will send a message to the new kids on the block.
And Smith is putting Lewis’ persona to one side as the contenders for England’s number seven shirt in the Ashes series go head-to-head.
He said: “I try not to get too caught up in it, I just leave it to the others. If you don’t see it, you don’t think about it as much.
“I wouldn’t buy into the whole battle between me and Mikey or say it’s extra motivation to get one over him, you just do that naturally.
“If you’re playing better than your opposite number and your team-mates are, you’re more likely to win the game. If I win mine and the other 12 lose theirs, it won’t count for much.
“I don’t go out of my way to think personally against my opposite half back, but I definitely try and do my job for the team to be better than the opposition’s sat navs, as we call them – their one, six, seven and nine.
“But it’s a lot better to be on Mikey’s side when he’s trying to rile people up – it’s polar opposites when you’re with him and when you’re against him.
“Lads in England and within Super League aren’t idiots. It’s all on the pitch and competitive spirit – I know that’s what Mikey’s like. I can be like that.
“He’s a good lad and you can move on from that when you play for England. There’s a bigger picture to look at. It all gets brushed under the carpet.
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“A lot of players in our game are so different on the pitch what they are off it and I’ve definitely learned to not get caught up in things as much and focus on my job.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve learned to calm down and not get involved – to just get involved at the right time when it’s necessary.
“There’s so much in rugby league you need to learn and get better at.”
Smith, 25, has already won the lot in his club career – he can add Test series wins over Tonga and Samoa and is favourite to line up alongside skipper George Williams in the Ashes.
But he admits he is glad to see Hull KR challenging for – and winning – trophies, because it is a new name after years of the same old, same old.
And with a crowd of more than 20,000 expected, he cannot wait to scream his way towards victory.
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Smith added: “They’ve been a top team for at least two or three years now. We always knew they had the squad and the players to be one.
“So it’s come as no surprise to us, and it’s only a good thing for the league that we’ve got all these good teams fighting for the top six or pushing to win the Grand Final.
“The more good teams there are, the better it’ll be for the league. It’ll mean more crowds and bigger games happening more often, The more, the merrier.
“And it’s brilliant to play in these games. It’s really enjoyable when it’s close to a sellout. As a player, it makes it so much better to play in.
“The fans are on top of you and when we’re near either edge or tryline, it can be very hard to make yourself heard.
“You almost going to communicate with body language and almost know what your team-mates are going to do without having to say anything.”
