Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith has recovered from the Storm’s disappointing finals exit to set himself for a 19th NRL season.
And he expects Josh Addo-Carr to be among his teammates in 2020, dismissing rumours linking the Test flyer to a Sydney club.
Smith planned to spend a media open day golfing with coach Craig Bellamy around the Presidents Cup course, Royal Melbourne, to discuss details of his final year.
“I haven’t spoken to Craig officially about next year; we’ve had some discussions about the way I’ve pulled up from the season just gone and where I’m at at the moment with my thoughts on next year,” Smith told AAP.
After winning the minor premiership, the Storm crashed out of the finals with two successive losses, leaving 36-year-old Smith questioning his desire to see out the remaining year of his contract.
But after some time away, he feels more positive.
“I must say I feel a lot better than I did a week or two weeks after we finished up,” he said.
“It takes a little bit to get over that disappointment, I guess more so now being older and knowing that the chances are running out.
“But I feel a lot better now about playing on next year and this will be a good chance to see what his (Bellamy’s) thoughts are and we will go from there today.”
Smith said he was satisfied he was physically up for it but needed to make sure he was primed mentally.
“I was pleased with most parts of my game last year although my form was never going to be the deciding factor – it was more about the want to go on and having to play another 25 rounds,” he said.
“But I’ve always said that as long as I’m performing well and the coaches and teammates believe that I’m contributing then I’d like to play on as long as I can.”
Smith believed Addo-Carr would remain in Melbourne despite reports that he was unhappy with his pay deal and wanted out of the last two years of his contract.
“I was extremely surprised when I heard the Josh Addo-Carr report,” Smith said.
“The discussions I’ve had with Josh during the year, he’s extremely happy being in Melbourne with the Storm and he loves our coach so I can’t see any reason why he’d want to leave.”