Melbourne hooker Brandon Smith has hit out at speculation he is poised to quit the NRL premiers to join the Bulldogs or Titans, admitting it will be “virtually impossible” for him to walk out on the Storm.
Smith has set the record straight on persistent rumours he has held talks with Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett and wants out of Melbourne in the build-up to the Storm‘s preliminary final against Penrith on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
Smith, off-contract at the end of next season, can field formal offers from November 1 and the tackle-busting rake has been consistently linked to a big-money defection to either Canterbury or the Gold Coast Titans.
Smith was buffeted by suggestions he was set to follow teammate Josh Addo-Carr to Belmore next season after Bulldogs coach Barrett reportedly flew to Melbourne in May for talks with the Storm duo.
Mindful of the poaching threat, the Storm have reacted, tabling a lucrative three-year extension to keep Smith in Melbourne until the end of 2025.
There is a view the Storm will struggle to retain Smith under the salary cap due to their galaxy of highly-paid stars, but the New Zealand Test hooker has given the strongest indication yet he will stay loyal to Melbourne.
“To be honest, it’s going to be virtually impossible to say no to the Storm,” Smith said.
“I say that because of what they have done for me as a player and a person.
I’ve been linked with the Titans, the Tigers and the Bulldogs ... geez, they are all going great at the moment.
“I want to sort my future out sooner rather than later. I want it done sometime during the pre-season, but before I sign anything, I want to be able to address the Storm if I am leaving.
“My preference is to stay here.
“I guess any club is any hope, but it’s just whether I can bring myself to leave the Storm and to be fair, it’s hard to see me doing that.”
Smith could stand to earn more at a rival club, but the Storm, by virtue of their unrivalled success, have a history of retaining their big guns at a reduced salary.
Earlier this season, off-contract Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes knocked back a $2.5 million, three-year package from the Warriors to chase more premiership rings at Melbourne.
The struggling Bulldogs have cash to spend and would relish adding Smith to their roster rebuild, but the Storm rake hosed down suggestions he is bound for Belmore.
“I spoke to Trent Barrett when he was in Melbourne, but there were no serious talks,” he said.
“Joshy (Addo-Carr) was at a cafe with Trent and then I came and spoke to them.
“It wasn’t about contracts. He was obviously interested but I haven’t talked numbers with the Bulldogs or any team.
I have put everything aside and come November 1, when I can get formal offers, there will be a lot of discussions between me and my manager.
“That’s irrelevant now when I’m trying to win a premiership. I’m not available until 2023 and I have been trying to stay out of the papers talking about my future.”
Melbourne football-operations boss Frank Ponissi remains confident Smith will continue his career at the Storm.
“What‘s annoying Brandon more than anything else is the constant speculation,” he said.
“He is happy at the club and he is focused purely on winning a grand final in the next two weeks.
“I don‘t know why there has been so much focus on Brandon’s contract.
“We have not given Brandon permission to talk to rival clubs.
“We‘re having discussions in the background, Brandon has stuck to his word and said he will worry about a new deal in the pre-season.”
