Footy wild man Brandon Smith opens up on why he was already ’emotional and vulnerable’ when he found out his club had dumped him in the worst way possible

NRL star and controversy magnet Brandon Smith has opened up about the shattering moment he found out he’d been punted by the Roosters – and why he was already ‘very emotional’ when the shock news broke.

The former Storm star is currently out injured after wrecking his knee late last season, meaning he was only able to rack up 41 games for the club after he left Melbourne to join them on a megabucks deal in 2023.

He’s now due to sign with the Roosters’ arch-rivals Souths after Bunnies coach Wayne Bennett was the first person to call him once news of the split leaked out on Wednesday, leaving Smith shell-shocked.

‘I’m blindsided by the fact the news came out through the media before I found out about it,’ Smith told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Journos knew more than I did in this situation.

‘The first thing I did was tell my girlfriend. She was next to me driving in the car. 

Brandon Smith was with his girlfriend Isabella Williams (pictured together) when he was blindsided by the news that the Roosters are axing him

The soon-to-be Souths star (pictured with Williams) has revealed why he was ‘vulnerable’ when the split became public

‘I was a bit hungover. It was quite a vulnerable time for me, I’d just finished a wedding. I didn’t really know what was going on.

‘Everyone knows where I’m going, everyone knows who’s sending me there, I think the money’s been all sorted.’

Smith – who is known for his love of a good time off the field – admitted he was still under the weather despite the fact his mate’s wedding took place on Monday. 

‘The celebrations went on long enough to leave me very emotional when I heard the news.

‘I had a conversation with Robbo [Roosters coach Trent Robinson] and he sort of laid it out.

‘I have no qualms with how the situation has panned out … I get that it’s a business, I understand what they are doing, they’re trying to get their money sorted.’

The 28-year-old ruined his knee against the Raiders late last season but is confident he’ll contribute for Souths this year.

‘I’m not as far away from playing as you think,’ Smith said.

The 28-year-old could only play 41 games for the Roosters thanks to a horror knee injury that has kept him off the field this year

‘Cheese’ is using his time out of first grade to find new business opportunities, like spruiking for Nando’s

‘I’m about eight weeks away from being fully recovered. I can run at training, I can sidestep, I can do whatever you want.

‘Now it’s just making sure the patellar tendon is mature enough to handle a full 80-minute game.’

Smith – who goes by the nickname ‘Cheese’ and has been signed on to introduce Aussies to Nando’s new PERi Mac + Cheese dish, which he had three of for breakfast before we spoke – has been a Souths fan since he was a kid and idiolised former Bunnies hooker Issac Luke.

He can’t wait to rip in after coach Wayne Bennett was the first person to call him when his Roosters departure became public.

But he was a little worried about getting the club offside before playing a single minute when we asked him to name the wildest rumour he’s heard about himself.

‘I don’t want to get in trouble,’ he said.

‘I haven’t made it to the Bunnies yet, I don’t want to be sacked by them, alright?’