Smith chasing two- year extension with Melbourne
CAMERON Smith has stunned the Melbourne Storm by outlining his plan to secure a two- year contract in a move that would see the Queensland champion remain in the NRL until 2020.
Smith is keen to put retirement firmly on the backburner, requesting a longer- term deal as the Storm hooker eyes an NRL career beyond his 37th birthday.
Mystery has surrounded Smith’s future at the Storm. Melbourne were initially planning for Smith to retire at the end of next year, although a contract stalemate has broken out in recent months, leaving the Storm’s most important player without a formal deal for 2019.
A fortnight ago, Melbourne announced a 27- man squad for next season without their offcontract captain, Smith, on their roster.
Now the contract saga has taken a dramatic twist, with the Storm receiving information Smith wants more than a 12- month deal, confident his body can withstand the rigours of another two years in the NRL.
The 35- year- old Smith is the most- capped player in NRL history with 384 matches and could surge past the 400game milestone by compiling a staggering 19 seasons of NRL service in 2020.
There is speculation the protracted negotiations could see Smith quit the NRL immediately, but Storm football operations chief Frank Ponissi dismissed fears their No. 1 player could follow Billy Slater into retirement.
“Cameron has been given time off until January and we are in no rush. I have no doubt his new deal will get done in time,” Ponissi said.
“There’s no real reason for the hold up.’’