Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith looks to have turned his back on Brisbane to play out his NRL career with the Storm.
Smith appeared certain to be lured to the Broncos on a multi-million dollar deal but Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy is now optimistic his captain will stay put.
The Australian skipper is tipped to make an announcement at the Storm family day in Melbourne on Saturday prior to their trial match against Canberra at AAMI Park.
"He hasn't said to me 'this has happened' but I can just tell by the way that he's talking to me that it looks a bit more promising than it did before Christmas," Bellamy told SEN radio on Friday morning.
"Before Christmas I was certainly of the thought that he would be leaving but I'm thinking the other way now."
Smith is off contract at the end of the season and it was thought that he was leaning towards moving his young family back home to Brisbane to be closer to relatives.
A holiday post World Cup, where he led the Kangaroos to victory, appears to have changed his mind and he's decided to remain alongside his Test teammates Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.
"It's been a roller-coaster since it started," Bellamy said.
"Hopefully that gets sorted out in the next few weeks."
