Wayne Bennett era at the Dragons. In October 2008, he was named in the final 24-man New Zealand Kiwis squad. Smith was a member of the World Cup-winning New Zealand team beating Australia in the 2008 World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. In 2010, the premiership that Smith won with Melbourne in 2007 was stripped by the NRL for major and deliberate breaches of the salary cap. St. George Illawarra Dragons In January 2009, Smith was named the 2008 New Zealand Rugby League Player of the Year. In his first year at the Dragons, the team won the 2009 Minor Premiership after finishing first in the regular season and again won the Minor Premiership in 2010. In August 2010, Smith signed a 3-year contract with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks starting in 2011. Smith played at in the Dragons' team that won the 2010 NRL Grand Final, defeating the Sydney Roosters. This was Smith's second premiership after the Storm's 2007 title. After that win, he had played in more grand finals than any other New Zealander. After winning the 2010 NRL Grand Final with the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Smith was a part of New Zealand's successful 2010 Four Nations campaign. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Despite having a disappointing year with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2011, Smith was again chosen to represent New Zealand in the 2011 ANZAC Test and 2011 Four Nations. After a successful start to year with the Sharks, Smith was selected in the 2012 ANZAC Test. On 26 September 2012, Smith signed a three-year contract with the Newcastle Knights starting in 2013 to rejoin his former Dragons coach, Wayne Bennett. He was released from the final year of his Sharks contract due to personal reasons. He was named the New Zealand Rugby League's 2012 Player of the Year. Newcastle Knights Smith commenced playing with the Newcastle Knights in the 2013 NRL season. On 22 August 2014, Smith became one of the current NRL players and former Sharks players to accept reduced bans from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority for his role in the club's 2011 supplements program. On 13 February 2015, Smith played for the NRL All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars in the annual All Stars match. On 6 June 2015, he re-signed with the Knights on a 1-year contract. On 26 February 2016, Smith was announced as one of three co-captains for the Knights