'Bad look' threatening to light new Smith bomb

2 years ago 358

Wide World of Sports fable Ken Sutcliffe has brought to attraction "a atrocious look" perchance acceptable to originate amid the Brandon Smith saga, arsenic a effect of the NRL's player-transfer strategy and the decisions of the Melbourne superstar.

Sutcliffe says NRL players negotiating aboriginal contracts with rival clubs with a twelvemonth inactive to tally connected their existent deals are "spitting successful the faces of the fans".

Felise Kaufusi (Dolphins), Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs) and Isaiah Papali'i (Tigers) are among the high-profile players who person already signed with rivals from 2023 since the opening of the caller transportation window, which opened connected November 1.

But off-season headlines person been dominated by Smith, who's each but definite to motion with the Roosters from 2023. He's contracted to the Storm for 2022.

Smith inadvertently highlighted the contentious quality of the NRL's transportation strategy erstwhile helium made a staggering admittance connected the YKTR podcast past week.

The New Zealand Test rake admitted to looking astatine a Roosters jumper connected a caller sojourn to the Tricolours and thinking, "I privation to triumph a premiership successful that jersey".

His comments connected the podcast prompted the Storm to merchandise a scathing connection and slam the doorway unopen connected trying to clasp him beyond 2022.

The fiasco has present led to Sutcliffe suggesting that, aft yet finalising his Roosters deal, Smith volition apt instrumentality other caution successful his past twelvemonth astatine the Storm to support his body.

Brandon Smith angers Storm with podcast

"If you've signed a woody with idiosyncratic 18 months retired ... successful the backmost of your caput (you're thinking), 'I'm getting $500,000 a twelvemonth close now, but erstwhile I spell to this adjacent declaration ... I'm going to beryllium getting $800,000'," Sutcliffe said connected 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio.

"In the backmost of your caput is, 'I person got to look aft myself, I don't privation to get injured, this woody is babelike connected maine coming done the adjacent 18 months injury-free'.

"In each mode it's conscionable a atrocious look, a truly atrocious look."

Sutcliffe, a sports media icon whose decorated vocation spanned 50 years, likes to usage a definite analogy erstwhile discussing the NRL's transportation system.

"I ever travel backmost to this," Sutcliffe said.

"Can you ideate maine going up to (former Nine Network owner) Kerry Packer oregon (former Nine main executive) David Leckie oregon (former Nine CEO) Sam Chisholm and saying, 'Look, I've got different twelvemonth to tally connected my declaration but aft that I'm joining Channel Seven'?

"'Do you mind? I'll enactment for you for the adjacent 12 months'.

"Mate, they'd conscionable explode.

"I conscionable can't judge (it) ... Rugby league, which is precise tribal ... And you conscionable truly spit successful the faces of the fans erstwhile you bash that benignant of thing."

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