The Broncos have declared their doors are wide open if Cameron Smith wants to finish his career in Brisbane.
After the Gold Coast Titans attempted to end long-running rumours linking their club to the NRL superstar by insisting he would not be joining their side for 2021, Brisbane has entered the conversation.
The Courier Mail reports the Queensland powerhouse club has open to signing the 37-year-old and has half a million dollars in its salary cap to entice him after releasing hooker Andrew McCullough to St George Illawarra.
“Look, who wouldn’t want Cam Smith, he is a legend of the game,” Broncos chairman Karl Morris told the Courier Mail.
“But I can honestly say I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t know anyone at the Broncos who has spoken to him.
“The ball is in his court. If Cam called any club tomorrow and said he wanted to play for them, including the Broncos, you would send a limousine to his house.
“Which of the 16 clubs would not want Cam on their books? But we haven’t had any talks so we haven’t had any plans to sign him.”
Smith relocated with his family to Queensland after the Melbourne Storm secured the 2020 NRL premiership in October.
The 37-year-old’s contract with the Storm expired last year, and he is yet to publicly confirm his future plans in the sport.
But after four months of silence from the veteran hooker, a retirement announcement appears increasingly unlikely.
On Tuesday, Smith was spotted kicking a footy around at Firth Park in Mudgeeraba as rumours of an 11th-hour deal with the Titans swelled in volume.
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC commentator Zane Bojack tweeted: “Hearing very strong rumours that Cam Smith has signed with @GCTitans … however club denying this is the case. Very interested to see how this plays out.”
But Titans head of performance Mal Meninga defiantly claimed it wasn’t happening.
“We haven’t talked to Cam Smith, that is 100 per cent fact,” Meninga said. “It really is that simple.
“There is all sorts of talk about him living on the Gold Coast and playing for us, but we haven’t spoken to him.
“I don’t have any idea what Cam is doing. I don’t know if he’s retiring. I’m in the dark like everyone else. But I know he won’t be at the Titans.”
Smith has played 433 games for the Storm since making his NRL debut in 2002, featuring in 98 representative matches for Queensland and Australia.
He is the highest NRL points-scorer in history, surpassing Hazem El Masri’s record in April 2019.