The Sydney Roosters still haven't officially signed Brandon Smith, but everything points to the Melbourne Storm star joining the tri-colours in 2023.
Following an off-field circus where Smith was paraded around multiple clubs, before appearing on a podcast to say he wanted to win a premiership for the Roosters, despite having a year to play at the Storm, reports suggest the announcement is imminent.
Star Rooster Luke Keary, who spent almost the entirety of 2021 on the shelf following an ACL injury, said he didn't know if Smith has signed yet, but was excited about the prospect in an interview on the Fox Sports podcast, Onside Kick.
โIโll try to keep this podcast a little less controversial than his one,โ Keary told the podcast.
โBut to be honest, his name has obviously come up a bit but we donโt really speak about it too much as players at training.
โIโm pretty sure he hasnโt officially signed or anything like that, so I actually donโt know if heโs coming โ Robbo hasnโt addressed it yet.
โBut everyone knows the type of player he is and what he can do so heโs obviously going to be a huge asset to anyone.
โIf he does come, Iโm worried about him and โRadsโ (Victor Radley) together... weโll either come last or first with them I think.โ
Keary was just one of plenty of Roosters who spent significant time on the sideline during 2022. Despite that, the star half, who is on the fringe of State of Origin selection, will return to the starting side in 2022, likely alongside Sam Walker.
Smith's future at the Storm was under a cloud as recently as last week, with reports suggesting the club were looking to release him, however, issues regarding Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Tui Kamikamica squashed that as an option for the powerhouse club, who were knocked out in the preliminary finals last year.