Gun Melbourne hooker Harry Grant has made the astonishment admittance that helium has nary contented with starting connected the seat if it means teammate Brandon Smith remains with the Storm.
Smith's main contender for Melbourne's No.9 jumper adjacent says he's begging him to "hurry up and sign", arsenic the New Zealand Test rake weighs up his aboriginal beyond this season.
While Smith is contracted to the Storm until the extremity of 2022, the premiership-winning dummy-half has earned the support of the nine to exit early, provided a suitable replacement is available.
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In conscionable astir each crippled this season, Smith has started astatine hooker and Grant connected the bench, with Smith typically shifting to fastener erstwhile Grant is substituted connected to play astatine dummy-half.
"I deliberation everyone wants to commencement but I deliberation for maine it's conscionable whatever's champion for the squad and for myself it's astir apt playing disconnected the bench," Grant told Sydney's Nine News.
"I emotion him," Grant said of Smith.
"He's truthful bully for our broadside and our squad and I'm conscionable telling him to hurry up and sign. Everyone wants him to stay."
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But arsenic Melbourne hole for a preliminary last against the victor of Penrith and Parramatta, Smith says he's torn implicit his desires for 2022.
"I inactive person nary thought (if I privation to permission early)," Smith said.
"Obviously my preferred presumption is hooker and the mode this nine is tally – it'd beryllium hard for maine to crook distant from this.
"I benignant of beryllium them. Footy's footy ... You don't beryllium anyone successful footy. But they truly changed my life, this club, and it'd beryllium hard to crook away.
"I don't truly person a wide imaginativeness connected what I privation to do."
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