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Melbourne Storm superstar Harry Grant is reportedly ‘unsettled’ with his lack of game time this season, stuck behind Brandon Smith in the pecking order.
Grant struggled with injuries through the 2021 campaign, but in the latter part of the season was left to start off the bench with Smith the starting hooker.
Grant typically took to the field after 25 minutes and played the remainder of the game at hooker with Smith shifting to lock.
The duo are close friends, and the Maroons star has selflessly stated he’s happy to come off the bench if it’s ‘best for the team’.
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“I think everyone wants to start but I think for me it’s just whatever’s best for the team and for myself it’s probably playing off the bench,” Grant told Channel 9 last month.
“I love him. He’s so good for our side and our squad and I’m just telling him to hurry up and sign. Everyone wants him to stay.”
But Buzz Rothfield wrote in The Daily Telegraph that “hooker Harry Grant is unsettled about his role this year as a bench forward behind Smith, despite the fact they are great mates.
“Grant has two years left on his contract but wants a starting role. Smith won’t necessarily play at lock because Nelson Asofa-Solomona is eyeing off Dale Finucane’s old jersey.”
Smith is likely to receive a two-to-four game ban from the NRL in the next couple of days over his involvement in a drug scandal alongside Cameron Munster and teammate Chris Lewis.
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25-year-old Smith has scored 20 tries in 86 games since his debut in 2017 and won a premiership with the club last season.
He was expected to take over as starting lock following the high-profile move of Finucane to the Cronulla Sharks, but as Rothfield writes, Asofa-Solomona is also pushing for a role in the starting squad.
With Tui Kamikamica also stuck on the bench, Smith missing the start of next season through suspension could hand Grant a crucial boost in his bid to become a starter.
Storm have tabled a contract extension in an attempt to keep Smith beyond the 2022 season when he goes off contract, while Grant is currently locked in for the 2022 campaigns with a mutual option for 2023.
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