Brandon Smith cops brutal new blow as rival NRL team rejects signing Roosters discard
The Raiders have declared they have no interest in signing the out of favour hooker.
The future of Brandon Smith is up in the air after the Roosters declared they won't re-sign him and the one NRL club actively searching for a hooker stated he is not what they are looking for. Smith's current contract will expire at the end of next season, meaning he has been free to negotiate with rivals for 2026 and beyond since November 1.
Smith is on $900,000 a year having signed a bumper deal with the Tri Colours after starring for Melbourne in 2023 and long keeping Harry Grant out of the team. But his first two seasons in Bondi have been underwhelming, to say the least, and the hooker's season ended in disaster having suffered an ACL injury, which will keep the 28-year-old out until the middle of the 2025 season.
The Roosters have reportedly informed Smith he won't be re-signed and are even open to letting him leave before he gets back from injury, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The publication has reported the Roosters are willing to release him and join another club and immediately the Raiders were thrown up as a potential destination.
Canberra have made it clear they need reinforcements at the number nine spot. Heading into the new season, the Raiders only have Tom Starling and Danny Levi as possible No.9 options, both who have hardly set the NRL alight so far and are in desperate need of a hooker. But the Canberra Times have revealed Smith won't be one of the players they will chase, with the club instead favouring Warrington Wolves' No.9 Danny Walker.
"No, we won't be (going after Brandon Smith). No, we're not interested," Raiders CEO Don Furner is quoted as having responded to the publication when asked about potentially signing him.
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Smith is one of the most accomplished hookers in the game with 148 NRL games and 13 appearances for New Zealand. He also won the 2020 premiership with the Storm. However, concerns around his lack of commitment and also the fact he is coming off an ACL surgery and will be 29 by the time he returns to the footy field all work against him.
As does the fact there is no shortage of hookers available for NRL clubs to go after. Jayden Brailey, Soni Luke and youngster Blake Mozer, who will be chased by numerous clubs in a bid to rip him away from the Brisbane Broncos, are all there to be lured away. While the main hooker of interest currently free to negotiate with NRL rivals is NSW Origin hooker Reece Robson.
Robson, who became a free agent on November 1, is on the record saying he wants to stay in Townsville and the Cowboys are just as keen to keep the Blues representative and have tabled him a new deal amid interest from the Roosters.
Robson, a Murwillumbah product, debuted for the Dragons in 2018, playing nine games for the Red V before making the move north, where he has established himself as one of the game's premier hookers. He has also previously voiced his desire to stay in North Queensland but stranger things have happened. “I’d love to extend my time here. I love it up here in North Queensland and never want to leave the place,” Robson said to News Corp back in May.
