In tomorrow's DT
Off-contract Kiwi star Brandon Smith will have dinner with Trent Robinson at his eastern suburbs home this week as the Roosters make a last-ditch attempt to beat Wayne Bennett in the race to woo the in-demand dummy half away from the Melbourne Storm.
It comes as Smith’s agent Stan Martin revealed that he was hoping his star client would make a call on his future soon after his guided tour through the Roosters’ headquarters in the coming days.
The face-to-face with Robinson will be the final stopover on a high profile trip down the eastern seaboard that also included visits with the Dolphins, Titans and Cowboys, who all tabled offers over the past fortnight.
It is understood at this point Robinson’s Roosters are the biggest threat to Bennett’s Dolphins, who are shaping up as the dominant force in this battle for one of the game’s most sought-after signatures, especially given Smith’s desire to continue playing hooker and Harry Grant’s ongoing presence at the Storm.
Bennett makes no secret of his keenness to sign the nuggety New Zealander as one of his marquee men at the NRL’s newest franchise, and the Dolphins seem pretty confident they will get their man.
But the fact is that when it comes to rugby league recruitment, no one does it better than Roosters supremo Nick Politis, who has a track record of getting what he wants, with superstars Sonny Bill Williams and Cooper Cronk among his former high profile targets.
However, Martin said Smith was not scheduled to meet with Politis this week, who was expected to be away on business.
But Robinson is also known to drive a very compelling argument when it comes to selling his vision for the Roosters.
“Trent has organised with Brandon, or is going to organise, to have dinner at his place,” Martin said on Sunday.
“He has got about a week in Sydney before he heads down to Melbourne.
“He will make a decision then I would hope. We might have to talk to Melbourne before we close off but I am hoping it is not too far into the distant future. Maybe two or three weeks I’m hoping.”
Martin is convinced Smith’s best position is dummy half, and that is where he should continue playing.
“He is the Dally M hooker of the year,” he said.
“It is not better for Brandon (playing out of position behind Grant).
“I don’t know if you remember but about a year ago we said that Brandon is a hooker.
“That is what we wanted.
“We always wanted that, never wavered off that.”
But he said continuing to play hooker at the Storm would be highly unlikely given Grant’s presence until at least the end of 2023.
“I don’t see that happening. They have got Harry, haven’t they?” Martin added.
Martin also conceded how Smith thought he might handle living in Sydney could factor into his final decision, with his parents currently living in Brisbane.
“There are lots of things going around in his head,” he continued.
“Monetary side of things is important. Being a leader is important.
“Building a legacy, which he won’t do at Storm because the legacy is Cameron Smith’s.
“All of those things are obvious issues. He will have visited all four clubs by the time this is over.
“I have a preference, but at the end of the day, he will have a preference and we will have a chat. We will have a Zoom conference and we will hopefully come to a club that we can agree to.”
Off-contract Kiwi star Brandon Smith will have dinner with Trent Robinson at his eastern suburbs home this week as the Roosters make a last-ditch attempt to beat Wayne Bennett in the race to woo the in-demand dummy half away from the Melbourne Storm.
It comes as Smith’s agent Stan Martin revealed that he was hoping his star client would make a call on his future soon after his guided tour through the Roosters’ headquarters in the coming days.
The face-to-face with Robinson will be the final stopover on a high profile trip down the eastern seaboard that also included visits with the Dolphins, Titans and Cowboys, who all tabled offers over the past fortnight.
It is understood at this point Robinson’s Roosters are the biggest threat to Bennett’s Dolphins, who are shaping up as the dominant force in this battle for one of the game’s most sought-after signatures, especially given Smith’s desire to continue playing hooker and Harry Grant’s ongoing presence at the Storm.
Bennett makes no secret of his keenness to sign the nuggety New Zealander as one of his marquee men at the NRL’s newest franchise, and the Dolphins seem pretty confident they will get their man.
But the fact is that when it comes to rugby league recruitment, no one does it better than Roosters supremo Nick Politis, who has a track record of getting what he wants, with superstars Sonny Bill Williams and Cooper Cronk among his former high profile targets.
However, Martin said Smith was not scheduled to meet with Politis this week, who was expected to be away on business.
But Robinson is also known to drive a very compelling argument when it comes to selling his vision for the Roosters.
“Trent has organised with Brandon, or is going to organise, to have dinner at his place,” Martin said on Sunday.
“He has got about a week in Sydney before he heads down to Melbourne.
“He will make a decision then I would hope. We might have to talk to Melbourne before we close off but I am hoping it is not too far into the distant future. Maybe two or three weeks I’m hoping.”
Martin is convinced Smith’s best position is dummy half, and that is where he should continue playing.
“He is the Dally M hooker of the year,” he said.
“It is not better for Brandon (playing out of position behind Grant).
“I don’t know if you remember but about a year ago we said that Brandon is a hooker.
“That is what we wanted.
“We always wanted that, never wavered off that.”
But he said continuing to play hooker at the Storm would be highly unlikely given Grant’s presence until at least the end of 2023.
“I don’t see that happening. They have got Harry, haven’t they?” Martin added.
Martin also conceded how Smith thought he might handle living in Sydney could factor into his final decision, with his parents currently living in Brisbane.
“There are lots of things going around in his head,” he continued.
“Monetary side of things is important. Being a leader is important.
“Building a legacy, which he won’t do at Storm because the legacy is Cameron Smith’s.
“All of those things are obvious issues. He will have visited all four clubs by the time this is over.
“I have a preference, but at the end of the day, he will have a preference and we will have a chat. We will have a Zoom conference and we will hopefully come to a club that we can agree to.”
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