Brandon Smith's days as a Sydney Roosters player are numbered.
That is the clear knock-on effect of the club announcing the signing of Reece Robson on a mega four-year deal this week.
His departure from the North Queensland Cowboys came as something of a surprise, but the lure of returning to Sydney to play for one of the competition's glamour clubs - likely for more money than the Cowboys were offering - was simply too good to refuse.
And what it means is that 2025 will be Brandon Smith's last season at the tri-colours.
Off-season at the end of the campaign, and aiming to return from an ACL injury during the first half of it, the timing realistically couldn't be worse for Smith, who will go into a contract year unable to play any rugby league.
That, after two seasons at the Roosters, where he hasn't lived up to the level he was expected to after being signed from the Melbourne Storm.
But there are plenty of clubs who need a dummy half, and for his faults, Smith did show enough, particularly in the second half of 2024, to suggest he can, in fact, cut it as a dummy half in the NRL.
So, here are five clubs who will want to make a play for the off-contract Rooster.
5. Gold Coast Titans
If I'm the Gold Coast Titans, I'm throwing the book at Brandon Smith.
Sam Verrills and Chris Randall have simply not worked at dummy half, and it would take a brave man to suggest Des Hasler won't get something near the best out of Smith.
The Titans have salary cap constraints, though - that much is clear. Big deals for David Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui lead the way, while exuberant amounts of money are also littered throughout the squad on the likes of AJ Brimson, Jayden Campbell, Beau Fermor, Kieran Foran and Moeaki Fotuaika, among others.
If they can overcome that hurdle, though, Smith is the sort of player they would like to bring in. Crafty, tenacious and with a winning attitude, it's the latter the Titans lack plenty of, and that was on show during a disappointing 2024 campaign.
Canberra is too cold. Parra is too far west. The Gold Coast has an attractive climate and a decent cityscape. The club finished fifth on the table in 2024.
If the Roosters are prepared to throw in half of what they will have to pay Brandon Smith just to keep him playing NSW Cup when he returns from injury, then this could be a match made in heaven.
No….. that’s rubbish isn’t it ? I’m confusing Gold Coast and North Queensland.
Hmmm. Perhaps Brandon won’t be going to the Goldie, after all :=)
Not everyone loves sunny townsville. Super league. Surely.