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“Cameron Smith has just told a lunch function “I don’t know... I still have a big decision to make”,” Channel 7s Chris Garry tweeted.
Clearly, he’s still interested in playing on. Says he’s yet to speak to a club. The season starts in three weeks.”
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Four months after lifting the Provan-Summons trophy with the Storm in October last year, Smith is yet to make an announcement on his future.
The general consensus is that he won’t be returning to Melbourne and that is set to be confirmed with the Storm to officially announce their new captain on Friday.
The Titans seemed the most likely landing spot for Smith given he moved with his family to the Gold Coast last year and was spotted at a Titans under-19s trial with Justin Holbrook January. Then speculation grew even more when he was seen kicking a footy at a park in Mudgeeraba last week.
However, Titans’ head of performance Mal Meninga declared on Thursday that the 37-year-old “won’t be with us.”
The Broncos on the other hand have not ruled out a Smith swan song, theCourier Mail reports.
Having just released veteran hooker Andrew McCullough to the Dragons, Brisbane have around $500,000 in the cap to spend for 2021. That is enough to secure Smith — a $1 million player — on a last minute deal in March or April given half of the NRL’s contracting year would have passed by then.
Broncos chair Karl Morris told the Courier Mail that the club hasn’t spoken to Smith but if he wanted to run out for his 20th NRL season in Broncos colours he’d send a limousine to pick him up.
“Look, who wouldn’t want Cam Smith, he is a legend of the game,” he said.
“But I can honestly say I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t know anyone at the Broncos who has spoken to him.
“The ball is in his court. If Cam called any club tomorrow and said he wanted to play for them, including the Broncos, you would send a limousine to his house.
“Which of the 16 clubs would not want Cam on their books? But we haven’t had any talks so we haven’t had any plans to sign him.”
The Broncos have overtaken the Titans as the club most likely to land the ex-Storm skipper. But up until Thursday, it was the Gold Coast club that many expected to see Smith eventually line up for.
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Meninga shot down all the speculation when he confirmed to the Courier Mail that the club hasn’t even spoken to the rugby league icon.
“We haven’t talked to Cam Smith, that is 100 per cent fact,” Meninga said.
“It really is that simple. There is all sorts of talk about him living on the Gold Coast and playing for us, but we haven’t spoken to him.
“I don’t have any idea what Cam is doing. I don’t know if he’s retiring. I’m in the dark like everyone else. But I know he won’t be at the Titans.
“Look, the reality is he is a Melbourne boy and the Storm have some very powerful businessmen.
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“Because he was down at Mudgeeraba in a light blue shirt kicking a footy around in boots people want to think he’s going to sign with the Titans. I wasn’t behind the toilet shed trying to sign him I can tell you.
“He won’t be with us, simple as that.”
He doubled down when quizzed at the Fox League season launch.
“I haven’t spoken to Cameron, he’s the hardest man in the world to get a hold of,”
“It’s all speculation. Everyone assumes he’s coming to the Titans. He’s not on the radar.
“You should ask (Broncos coach) Kevvie (Walters) about Cameron so I don’t have to answer these questions anymore.”