- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Paddle-boarding and plenty of golf are all that’s on the horizon for Cameron Smith, although the retired great says he will return to rugby league in some role.
The 37-year-old is putting family first, skipping the opportunity to farewell Storm fans in their round-one home game because it’s his daughter Jada’s 13th birthday.
He will be back in Melbourne at a later match, and also to pack up his house after buying another on the Gold Coast and shifting his family there midway through the 2020 season.
The 37-year-old said before his retirement announcement he had to go via his Melbourne home to pick up a suit after spending the past four months rotating three T-shirts and three pairs of shorts.
Looking tanned and as fit as he has for the past 19 seasons, Smith says he struggled with his decision because mentally and physically he felt up to another year.
But he realised there was plenty more to life than a football field.
“I tried to pick the brains of my mates like Billy (Slater) about how they came to the conclusion it was the right time to finish their playing career,” Smith said.
“But once I spent good quality time with my family up in Queensland I knew that it was the right time to finish and it gives me time to enjoy what’s going to be the next chapter of my life.
“I’ve just been trying to spend as much time as I can with my kids and wife and we go paddle-boarding and I get to take them to school and pick them up and attend things in their life that I wasn’t able to do when I was playing rugby league.
“Plus I can play a lot more golf which I’m quite happy about.
“Having that time to myself and with my family helped me make that decision and not having to give up the things I’ve given up for a long, long time.”
He’s already had talks with Storm chair Matt Tripp and coach Craig Bellamy about his future with the club, with talk of a board position and/or coaching and mentoring roles.
Brisbane and Gold Coast would also jump at his involvement as would media organisations.
“I’d love to stay involved in some capacity but the next step is to let the dust settle for a little bit,” Smith said.
“I’ve played rugby league since I was six so it’s something I enjoy being around.
“It’s given me a whole heap and it’s my opportunity to give back in some way but what that will be I’m not too sure.”
© AAP
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.