To stay or not to stay...that is the question...

[LESStar58]

Won't begrudge Cam if he leaves. Great leader and a rock for the club. Can't fault how loyal he has been.

[mattstormy]

Just shows how bad Brisbane's recruiting has been when they think that an ageing Cam is there only hope of being successful (he'll be turning 32 in 2015).

[Turtle188]

Just shows how bad Brisbane's recruiting has been when they think that an ageing Cam is there only hope of being successful (he'll be turning 32 in 2015).

Add that to the fact that it's taken a career of 300 games (including rep games) for Brisbane to realise he's not too small and slow for them. I think Cam has too much character to leave so late in his career. 300 club games, one club, one Storm.

[KingHoweofIsrael]

If Brisbane find a considerable amount more money for Cam than we do, I wouldn't mind if he left.....i obviously want him to stay, and believe he will, but at the end of the day he only has one more contract in which he can make stupid money (and probably one more contract full stop) I really don't see him leaving, I doubt he sees himself leaving....but, money talks.

[blazza18]

So it looks like the club and Cam have decided to get his future sorted before the start of next season.

MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith has told the club his future will be decided before the start of next year.

Smith and the Storm have agreed the decision must be made before round one next season to avoid the risk of ongoing speculation hurting the club’s 2014 campaign.

The star hooker and Australian Test captain still has a year remaining on his contract but the Brisbane Broncos, who are unable to formally ­approach him until November 1, are expected to offer him up to $1 million a season to jump ship in 2015.

Melbourne have started formal talks with Smith’s manager Isaac Moses, with the club bullish it can keep him a Storm player for life.

"We’re definitely confident (of keeping him), but I guarantee there will be a decision by the start of next season," Storm football manager Frank Ponissi said.

"You would hate to go through with it hanging over us and it won’t be.

This could be huge for the entire club if we make the wrong decision. I think the majority of us want the club to do everything it possibly can to secure our captain and make him a 1 club player. I'm sure the club and Captain Cam would love that too.

I understand other clubs would love his signature and are going to offer a lot of money. We need to do what is right for the club too and can't do anything outrageous. We already don't have the greatest depth and giving a 32 year old close to a million a season wont help either. Also need to worry about years on the contract, I think no longer than 3 would be ideal.

So I believe we should do anything possible to keep him but not do anything too outrageous.

[Bullucked]

So it looks like the club and Cam have decided to get his future sorted before the start of next season.

MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith has told the club his future will be decided before the start of next year.

Smith and the Storm have agreed the decision must be made before round one next season to avoid the risk of ongoing speculation hurting the club’s 2014 campaign.

The star hooker and Australian Test captain still has a year remaining on his contract but the Brisbane Broncos, who are unable to formally ­approach him until November 1, are expected to offer him up to $1 million a season to jump ship in 2015.

Melbourne have started formal talks with Smith’s manager Isaac Moses, with the club bullish it can keep him a Storm player for life.

"We’re definitely confident (of keeping him), but I guarantee there will be a decision by the start of next season," Storm football manager Frank Ponissi said.

"You would hate to go through with it hanging over us and it won’t be.

This could be huge for the entire club if we make the wrong decision. I think the majority of us want the club to do everything it possibly can to secure our captain and make him a 1 club player. I'm sure the club and Captain Cam would love that too.

I understand other clubs would love his signature and are going to offer a lot of money. We need to do what is right for the club too and can't do anything outrageous. We already don't have the greatest depth and giving a 32 year old close to a million a season wont help either. Also need to worry about years on the contract, I think no longer than 3 would be ideal.

So I believe we should do anything possible to keep him but not do anything too outrageous.

Mehh. Yes a fantastic player, utterly influential in the running of our team and in my opinion sooner or later to be viewed as an immortal, but, let's not bankrupt and / or destroy our current and future recruitment by paying overs. (Let some other club do this) Now if only we had a veterans list like the gAyFL... (I bloody well hope this doesn't drag on like Orford and Kimmorley before him., we know how those turned out for us)
Maybe if he does leave it'll go some way towards a staggered departure of the big three (god how I hate that term), otherwise could be a replication of the early eighties for the Aussie cricket team when Lillee, Iron Gloves, Thommo and Chappelli all went around the same time.

[stormfan2010]

I've got to say I'm worried how far we will slide in years to come if we resign Smithy on a huge contract .
It's hard to say it but maybe we'd be better of letting him go if the money's to big , we need to spend it on another gun who's rising . Problem is there won't be anyone who can replace smith. How much in discounts do we get with him ? Maybe we would only have to pay $650-700k on the books and the rest 3rd party & marque dollars ...

[nacho]

massive pros and cons for this

one i can think of is that we keep him and some young budding hooker is sick of waiting for his time in the waiting line and then he goes elsewhere and shines.

or we lose him and we dont have a ready made replacement. although i think if he can secure a 3 year deal then that will give us enough time to plan his succession

[Ice]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/m ... 6735634411

[stormingaway]

Yep Cameron Smith is gonski. Like this quote:

""Smith this year conceded he and wife Barbara, who have three children, miss family support networks on offer in Brisbane.""

Have they never heard of a plane??!!

[glennb]

Two things. How do they know all this when he is in Fiji and how can the Broncos be doing anything if the can not talk to him before 01.11.13?

It is just to sell newspaper in the off season or is someone breaking the rules. I am sure newspapers never make anything up and the Broncos never break the rules.

[Rina]

quite simply - there is nothing in that article that hasnt been said in previous ones. Cam said that he missed family support in a post match press conference with Craig, and the media conveniently left out that he followed that up with saying he wanted to be a 1 club player if possible. There's nothing in that article from the Broncos directly and what Ponissi said was in an article last week.

Entirely possible that Cam leaves, but I'm putting this article down to slow news day.

[yourhero]

Nothing in it. I am confident Smithy will stay.

[blazza18]

This might just be his agent trying to up his value. I wouldn't be surprised if Melbourne have said they'll only go so far in negotiations. Also could just be the media talking their usual shit which we all know they do. I think the Storm are the only club the media continually get stuff wrong about. Remember when Coops was off to the Titans ? or was it St George ? Remember when Craig was talking with Warriors management and was about to sign with St George ?

If he does decide to leave it just means the changing of the guard begins sooner that expected.

[Lucas]

The more confident the media become that he is leaving, the more likely he will stay.