Brandon Smith's brutal response amid rumours of NRL swap deal with State of Origin star
The Roosters No.9 has shut down speculation over a move back to his old club.
Roosters No.9 Brandon Smith has shut down rumours he will be going back to North Queensland after speculation grows he is facing an early exit from his club. Smith is on $900,000 a year having signed from Melbourne in 2023, but his first two NRL seasons at the Roosters have been rather underwhelming.
The No.9's 2024 season ended in disaster having suffered an ACL injury in round 26 against Canberra. And the 28-year-old has also been hit with reports the Roosters will allow him to negotiate with other clubs earlier than expected placing his future at the club in doubt.
This prompted Smith to claim his partner enjoys the Sydney lifestyle and the pair are not keen on a move. And the Roosters star has once again responded to reports he could be used in a trade deal with the Cowboys. Smith started his career at the Cowboys playing in the u-20s, before moving to Melbourne and playing under Craig Bellamy.
He was then signed by the Roosters after the 2022 season with Harry Grant moving through the ranks. If Smith departs, the Roosters would need a No.9, having missed out on the Ben Hunt deal.
And the club could look to persuade the Cowboys for a swap deal with Reece Robson coming back to Sydney. Smith isn't having any of the speculation and has let rip at this suggestion he will be heading to North Queensland.
"There's a few clubs we've spoken to and Cowboys wasn't one of them. I don't think that option's really come up," Smith said on his 'Bye Round Podcast'. "(The Robson rumour) doesn't really change anything for me at the moment. I still want to be at the Roosters, still want to be around Sydney, still want to be on The Bye Round podcast, don't want to be in Townsville in this blistering heat. To be fair, they can't force me to go there."
Smith added his mind is on recovering, expected to miss the first-half of the NRL season, and playing for his current club. "If I feel like I'm not wanted, if my skills are not wanted for this year, then you'd think about it," Smith said. "But with my mind at the moment, I don't want to go into that realm and think about that stuff. Right now Roosters is my team, I'm trying to put that team first."
Brandon Smith and girlfriend settled in Sydney
Smith's reluctance for a major change in scenery could also come down to his partner. The former Melbourne player admitted he wanted to stay at the Roosters with his girlfriend feeling at home in Sydney. “I haven’t spoken to them yet because Robbo (coach Trent Robinson) is still away,” Smith said earlier this month.
“When we get back to training we will have the proper discussion. Ideally I would like to stay at the Roosters. I don’t want to go anywhere and my partner is well entrenched in the club. Ideally I would like to stay but the game of rugby league doesn’t always have the same opinions as yourself.”
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However, Smith said he is only trying to play his best footy in 2025 and his priority is winning a premiership at the Roosters. "My goal for this year is not to re-sign with the Roosters. My goal is to make sure I have the best year with the Roosters I can possibly have and make sure other clubs, if they are going to sign me, know what they're going to get," Smith said.
"I'm fully focused on the Roosters at the moment, whoever they're trying to sign doesn't really matter. I want to win a comp for the Roosters this year, and I want to be a part of that."
