Cameron Smith has signed a four-year deal to stay with the Melbourne Storm
December 10, 2008
MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith has agreed to remain with the club for the next four NRL seasons.
Storm and Australia hooker Smith, 25, had been considering a move home to Queensland and Gold Coast ***ans for family reasons, but he has signed a contract extension which will see him remain in Melbourne until the end of 2012.
Storm chief executive Brian Waldron said that Smith could have signed elsewhere for more money but opted to stay with the club which has played in the grand final for the past three seasons.
"I think there's no better place to be playing footy right now than at the Storm," Smith said.
Smith admitted the birth of his daughter Jada earlier this year had made him and wife Barbara seriously consider moving back to South-East Queensland, where most of their family are, to be closer to their support network.
"My first preference was to be in Melbourne ... it was always going to be best for my career to stay here," Smith said.
"With the birth of our first baby Jada early on in the year it was a big factor and we were probably a bit homesick.
"But we had a lot of support from everyone at the club and our ideas on that changed a little bit as the year went on."
Smith's signing adds to a star-studded list of players on long-term deals at the Storm.
The captain joins fellow Kangaroos and Queensland stars Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk in having pledged their long-term future to the Storm.
AAP[/b]
