Cameron Smith has predicted his namesake Brandon Smith will win the No.9 jersey during the NRL final series despite Harry Grant’s standout performance in Thursday’s 34-20 victory over the Gold Coast Titans.
Brandon Smith was rested from the Storm’s record-equalling 19th consecutive victory, allowing Grant to make just his second start of the season at hooker.
“It’s a huge headache for Craig Bellamy but I feel as though he’s going to put Brandon Smith into the starting No.9 jersey,” Smith told Channel 9.
“It’s where he’s played the majority of the year with Harry having been injured for the first part of the season and playing the majority of his football off the bench.
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“And then Nicho Hynes, (when) Jahrome Hughes comes back in, he’s been a standout for the Storm so there’s a lot of quality players there with only 17 positions to fill.
Hynes, who has been a revelation at full-back in recent weeks, wore the No.7 jumper against the Titans after Jahrome Hughes was ruled out due to concussion protocols.
That allowed Ryan Papenhuyzen to make his first start since his comeback from his own head knock suffered in Magic Round.
Quizzed on how he plans to fit his stars into a 17-man squad in the coming weeks, Bellamy replied: “I think what we’ve got, we haven’t got Hynes or Papenhuyzen, we’ve got Hynes and Papenhuyzen.
“And I think with Grant and Smith it’s not or either, it’s and.
“All those guys are going to be in our 17 and I can’t remember in my time as a coach having the luxury of having two players in key positions that do the job these blokes do for us, but it’s a nice problem to have.”
The Storm will play Parramatta and Cronulla in their final two regular-season fixtures.
They sit four points clear of Penrith and South Sydney, who both have a game in hand, at the top of the NRL ladder.
Bellamy’s men will clinch the minor premiership with one win from their two remaining matches.
