Roosters star Brandon Smith set for shock NRL defection to bitter rivals South Sydney

Brandon Smith appears to have played his last game for the Roosters, with the NRL club’s biggest rival set to swoop.

It’s believed that injured dummy-half Brandon Smith has played his last game for the Roosters with the Rabbitohs set to sign Smith “in the next 48 hours”.

Smith is off contract at the end of this season, and the Rabbitohs are keen to pounce.

However, given Smith isn’t due back from an ACL injury until Round 15, there’s a chance the Roosters allow Smith to leave his deal early to join Souths mid-season.

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The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said the Roosters are happy for Smith – who is on $850,000 this season – to depart for another club mid-season but the fact it’s to go to fierce rivals South Sydney is a sticking point.

‘He’ll sign within the next 48 hours I believe for about $600,000 a year (from next season),” Rothfield said on NRL360.

“He won’t be back until Round 15. Because it’s so late in the season, the Roosters would be more than happy to do an immediate transfer but they don’t get on with Souths and for them to get together and work out what fair compensation, it’d be a difficult negotiation.”

Veteran journalist Brent Read think a mid-season switch for Smith is imminent, believing the 28-year-old has “played his last game for the Roosters”.

“The Roosters will chip in some money but they won’t chip in a heap as it’s got to work in their favour,” Read revealed.

Brandon Smith is set to sign with the Rabbitohs. Image: NRL PHOTOS

“They have to come out of this with some money in their salary cap. They’ll chip in money to make it happen.”

Rothfield said that despite the animosity between the two clubs, if the Roosters let Smith depart early that will free up some money in the salary cap.

The Roosters have unleashed four debutants so far in 2025, with two of those young guns (working other jobs to support their rugby league career.

“As I’ve written, the Roosters had a concreter (Taylor Losalu) and a bookie’s clerk (Hugo Savala) on the field so they’d want Brandon’s money on those guys on better deals and reward the young kids who helped bring down four-time premiers Penrith (in Round 2),” Rothfield said.

The polarising Smith isn’t shy to share his thoughts publicly, providing a running commentary as such of this unfolding situation.

Despite the fact he’s still under contract with the Chooks, Smith said on The Bye Round podcast that he’s very interested to play under Souths coach Wayne Bennett and that he “hopes it happens”.

Brandon Smith is still sidelined as he recovers from an ACL injury he suffered at the end of the 2024 season. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“I am stoked he is interested in me but to be fair we had a pretty rough relationship. I did give him my word I was signing at Redcliffe and we all knew how that ended up,” Smith said.

“I felt pretty bad. Hopefully, he has forgiven me for that. I don’t know what the go is yet. I hope something happens. It is just not really on me, to be honest. It is more about them.”

Smith’s comments likely caught the ire of Roosters powerbrokers according to Read, but it’s just as likely that the dummy-half isn’t bothered.

“We all know Nick (Politis) and that hatred that stems from the Roosters and Rabbitohs. I can’t imagine anyone at the Roosters would have been happy with Brandon publicly flirting with Wayne and the Rabbitohs and how much he wanted to play there,” Read said.

While it appears Smith may have played his final game for the Roosters, his teammates hope that’s not the case.

“I love him, but sometimes Brandon says things. He’s still here for the rest of the year, and I’m looking forward to him getting back on the paddock for the Roosters and playing with him again,” Roosters star Connor Watson told the SMH. 

Originally published as Roosters star Brandon Smith set for shock NRL defection to bitter rivals South Sydney