Brisbane Broncos set to miss out on NRL big name.
The Brisbane Broncos are resigned to the fact they will not earn the signature of Queensland and Australian captain Cameron Smith.
The current Melbourne skipper is set to re-sign with the Storm after the club tabled one of the richest deals ever seen in the NRL, with the superstar set to earn $4 million over the next three years, with an option of an fourth.
Brisbane made an aggressive move to snare on of the best rugby league players in the world, with a move to Red Hill being talked about for months.
However, the Storm’s counter-offer and the chance to extend his already excellent relationship with coach Craig Bellamy and stars Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater looks set to win out in the end.
The turning point came after Christmas, when the Storm, aware of Brisbane’s ambitious bid, increased their offer by around $400,000 annually to remain in the hunt as Smith inched closer to a Broncos defection.
Storm chairman Mark Evans hopes to have the business of Smith’s contract sorted by the start of the season so he and the rest of the team can get down to business of winning the title.
We very much hope that it concludes well,” he said.
“Cameron will make his decision and we will respect whatever he does. But everyone here holds him in the highest regard. Cam is a top-class player, a very good captain and his records speaks for itself.
“He’s got terrific leadership skills and has done a lot for this club. We would love Cameron to finish his career here.”
Bellamy said he does not know for certain, and that Smith has not talked to him personally yet, but said he is confident he will have Smith at his disposal beyond 2015.
“It’s been a rollercoaster since it started. We are a lot more confident of hanging on to Cameron since the Christmas break,” Bellamy said.
“Cameron hasn’t said to me, `This has happened’ but I can just tell by the way that he’s talking to me (that he’s staying).
“Before Christmas I was certainly of the thought that he would be leaving but I’m thinking the other way now.
“Hopefully that gets sorted out in the next few weeks.”
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