Melbourne Storm and Kangaroos legend Cameron Smith is set to become the first player to reach 400 NRL games after signing a two-year contract extension.
The 35-year-old confirmed his decision last night after rumours circulated throughout the season he may look to hang up the boots with other icons of the game such as Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater doing so in 2018.
But Smith says he still has some energy left in the tank heading into his 18th season in the purple jersey.
"I'm very happy to be continuing my career with the club that gave me an opportunity to play first grade rugby league," Smith said.
"With Bill Slater and Ryan Hoffman retiring last season, I want to give Craig [Bellamy] and the coaching staff all the support they need, particularly with so much talent coming through."
Smith's workload will be significantly lighter now that he has retired from representative duties and 2019 could prove to be historic with the former Test and Origin captain just 16 games short of 400 NRL games.
Alongside the 400 mark, Smith requires just 33 points to overtake Hazem El Masri as the highest point-scorer in NRL history. El Masri's record stands at 2418 after he passed Andrew Johns's tally in 2009.
Storm CEO Dave Donaghy said Smith was open and had the club's best interests in mind while discussing his options last season.
"Cameron made it clear to us through the season he wanted to play on in 2019 but he saw it was more important to secure the future for the likes of Cameron Munster before him," Donaghy said.
"Being a one-club player is rare in footy these days and it's a credit to Cameron for sticking with us."
Should Smith play every game to start the 2019 season, his 400th match would be in round 17 against the Sharks at home.
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