NRL 2021: Retiring Cameron Smith rejects Broncos for a third time

They were keen but there will be no Cameron Smith swansong with his home-town team as the NRL legend rides off into the sunset never destined to put on the Broncos colours.

Melbourne Storm legend Cameron Smith with Craig Bellamy. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Cameron Smith rejected the Broncos for a third time and is destined to never be seen in Brisbane colours after the Storm launched plans to retain the Melbourne legend following his NRL retirement.

Smith finally brought an end to his record 430-game NRL career on Wednesday by announcing his retirement from professional rugby league at the unveiling of his statue at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.

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The announcement brought an end to six months of speculation about Smith’s future and the possibility he could continue his glittering career at the Broncos or Titans after relocating to the Gold Coast.

Smith, 37, will never play in the NRL again, but admitted he would like to remain involved in the game in an off-field capacity.

As a teenager growing up in Logan, Smith rejected an offer from the Broncos in 2000 to sign with Melbourne and went on to play a record 19 seasons for the Storm, winning three premierships and two Dally M Medals.

Cameron Smith grew up in Brisbane and loved the Broncos.

The Broncos went all out trying to lure him back to Brisbane in 2014, only for Smith to re-sign with Melbourne, and he has once again knocked back the club he supported as a child after Broncos coach Kevin Walters reached out to him late last year.

“There’s no disappointment, Cam Smith has had a wonderful career and I wish him all the best,” said Broncos chairman Karl Morris.

“He knew the best time to retire and he obviously feels the time is right.

“We’ll see what he does next. There might be a role for him here but it won’t be my call, it’s up to the coach.

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“I thought he might play on and if he did, we were the obvious choice for him. There was interest but we didn’t have any contact with him for two or three months.

“Any team would have been delighted to have Cam for a year, we were no different to the other 15 teams.

“We’ll move on. It’s business as usual. His name was never formally mentioned in a recruitment meeting and we never had his name in team structures, so it was just an opportunity to potentially sign him.

“Now that he has made his decision, we’ll look forward.”

Cameron Smith announced his retirement alongside Billy Slater. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

While the Broncos would take Smith as a consultant in a heartbeat, they will have a hard time pulling him away from the Storm.

Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp has already started talks with Smith about an off-field role at the club.

“Cameron is a once in a generation footballer and role model, not only for all Storm and NRL players now and in the future, but for all sports men and women,” Tripp said.

“There is no doubt that without Cameron at the Storm, we wouldn’t have experienced the outstanding level of success that we have over his time at the club.

“We have been very fortunate to have had him wearing the purple jersey and leading our club for so long and we look forward to sitting down with Cameron in the coming weeks to discuss playing a role with the club in the future.

“The Smith family are a huge part of the Storm family and we look forward to seeing Barb, their children Jada, Jasper and Matilda, and the wider family here at Storm HQ for many years to come.”

Smith went underground following Melbourne’s grand final win last October, settling on the Gold Coast and dodging many of his closest friends as he mulled over his future.

With the Titans and Broncos open to signing him, Smith had the opportunity to continue his NRL career but ultimately could not see himself playing against the Storm.

Storm chairman Matt Tripp wants to keep Smith at the club.

“A major factor was remaining a one-club player,” Smith said.

“I always had a thought I wanted to be a one-club player, not knowing that’s how it would pan out.

“I was able to play here for 19 seasons and enjoy a lot of success on the field. I gained a lot of great memories and friends from the time I spent here.

“I’d love to stay involved in some capacity.

“I’ve been talking with Matt Tripp and Craig (Bellamy, coach) through the back end of last season, through Christmas and the New Year about staying involved in the club.

“The next step is that I let the dust settle. We will work that out.

“It felt like the right time to finish on the back of what was a very successful season. You couldn’t ask for more than finishing with a premiership.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Retiring Cameron Smith rejects Broncos for a third time