Cameron Smith pens new deal with Melbourne

Drew Darbyshire

Cameron Smith has signed a two-year contract extension with Melbourne.

The former Australia and Queensland captain is set to become the first NRL player to reach 400 games, with him being just 16 games short of the milestone.

Smith, who turns 36 in June, has only ever played for Storm. He is about to enter his 18thseason of first-grade action.

On extending his stay at Melbourne, Smith said: “I’m very happy to be continuing my career with the club that gave me an opportunity to play first-grade rugby league.

“With Billy Slater and Ryan Hoffman retiring last season, I want to give Craig [Bellamy] and the coaching staff all the support they need, particularly with so much talent coming through.”

On retaining Smith, Storm chief executive Dave Donaghy commented: “Cameron made it clear to us through the season that he wanted to play on in 2019 but he saw it was more important to secure the future for the likes of Cameron Munster before him.

“Being a one-club player is rare in footy these days and it’s a credit to Cameron for sticking with us.”

Smith retired from representative rugby league last year, having earned 56 caps for Australia and playing 42 times for Queensland.