There was a mountain of speculation regarding his future and it has finally come to a head, with the Melbourne Storm confirming that club stalwart, club captain and hooker, Cam Smith, has re-signed.
The new deal will see him remain with the club until 2018 and will undoubtedly be the last deal of his career.
The four-year extension is a huge boost for the Storm and he will have the chance to surpass the record for the most games played, if his body holds up.
To follow on from that, he will this week pass the Storm’s all-time games record, going past Matt Geyer.
As speculation grew that he would head to Melbourne, family was imperative for Smith. With his family settled in Melbourne, he felt as if staying in Victoria was the best move for him moving forward.
“It was a very lengthy process, but right from the start my thoughts on re-signing was about my family,” Smith said.
“That was my priority, what was best for my wife and three kids and we decided that staying in Melbourne, a place that has been our home for the last 13 years was the best place for us to continue to live over the next four.
“I’m 30 years of age now, I’ve been around the game for a long time and obviously my life has changed a lot with having three young children down here.”
The eventual decision came after a discussion with his wife Barbara whilst they were on holiday and it was there that they decided Melbourne was the best place to stay.
“I think post World Cup, my wife and I went overseas for a bit of a break and we had a chance to properly sit down and have a chat because football was over,” Smith said.
“We realised that our home was in Melbourne, although at times it can be tough, particularly for my wife when we’re away with football or State of Origin or end of year tours, this was the place for us.
“We really enjoy living here, as I said its been our home for a long time now.
“Having great teammates at this club and obviously great coaching staff and administration that we’re all very close friends with, that certainly helped make the decision a lot easier.”
With his future now sorted, Smith is pleased that his team-mates respected his decision and he looks forward to the next four years at the club.
“The boys have been really good about the whole situation, they haven’t tried to sway me one way or the other, they’ve always been very neutral in the few times I did speak to the boys about it,” said Smith.