Melbourne Storm legend Cameron Smith revealed that a conversation with his parents was pivotal in his decision to sign with the Storm instead of the Wayne Bennett-led Brisbane Broncos.
Smith, who grew up in southeast Queensland dreaming of playing for the Broncos, had flown under the radar of NRL clubs for much of his junior career until he caught the attention of several teams at the 2000 under-17s Queensland state championship.
Speaking on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, Smith said that Anthony Griffin, who was involved in Storm’s recruitment and later coached the Broncos, Panthers, and Dragons, was the first to offer him a contract.
“I met with Hook and Mark Murray along with my mum and dad to discuss their plans for me at the Melbourne Storm,” Smith explained.
Around the same time, Smith received a call from the Broncos, inviting him to a meeting with Wayne Bennett.
“I actually sat in Wayne Bennett’s office at Red Hill for about 15 minutes. It was the most intimidating 15 minutes of my life,” Smith said.
Smith mentioned that his parents could have easily pushed him to sign with the local Broncos, but they didn’t, leaving the decision up to him.
“My parents asked me where I thought I had the greatest opportunity to play in the NRL, and it ended up being Melbourne,” Smith recalled.
After signing with the Storm, Smith made his debut in 2002 and went on to make 430 appearances over 18 seasons, becoming the most capped NRL player in history and one of the greatest players of all time.
He eventually got the chance to play under Wayne Bennett when he debuted for the Maroons in the 2003 State of Origin series. Smith missed only one Origin match between his debut and his representative retirement in 2018, contributing to the Maroons’ dominance with eight consecutive wins over NSW.
