Brandon Smith has attempted to backpedal connected comments that shone a airy connected the darkside of the highly palmy Melbourne Storm, aft revealing successful a headline-grabbing podcast that immoderate of the club's biggest names played conscionable arsenic hard disconnected the tract arsenic they bash connected it.
In a agelong interrogation for the YKTR Sports podcast, the larrikin hooker revealed drinking is "a monolithic portion of the culture" astatine the premiership heavyweights.
The backlash has been swift with claims the Storm are considering axing Smith from the last twelvemonth of his deal aft helium confirmed that he'd beryllium joining the Roosters successful 2023.
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In a connection shared by the Storm today, Smith claimed his comments astir the club's drinking civilization were taken retired of context. He apologised for hurting the nine but maintained helium volition proceed to beryllium himself.
On the podcast, Smith spoke openly astir the nine having "so galore piss-ups" and elaborate a communicative astir 2021 co-captain Dale Finucane, who has joined the Sharks successful the off-season, connected the drink.
"We person truthful galore piss-ups and it's nary concealed that piss-ups physique relationships, there's a crushed I was getting piss acceptable this full time," Smith said.
"Because you conscionable commencement letting loose, you tin speech and beryllium yourself. At the Storm bro, drinking is simply a monolithic portion of the culture.
"We had brew pong contention astatine my location and Scott Drinkwater, we were playing brew pong, Dale (Finucane) was blind, and Scott kept pouring vodka into his brew cups and helium drank a vessel of vodka successful 32 minutes, similar a full vessel and helium was truthful pissed.
"He doesn't realise however beardown helium is, helium grabs you and conscionable manhandles you astir and 20 minutes aboriginal he's got his footwear and he's spewing into his shoe."
Smith added that drinking built camaraderie astatine the Storm, and the players felt the enslaved is person than different NRL clubs due to the fact that galore of the players are distant from home.
"Melbourne is unreal, the radical determination and each the players we each emotion each different due to the fact that we've got nary household successful Melbourne, astir of us," Smith said.
"And each america young fellas, similar everyone nether 26, each unrecorded successful Richmond, each unrecorded 1 kilometre distant from each different and we're ever hanging retired with each other, each azygous day.
"And that's beauteous overmuch however I grew up successful Waiheke, it's precise homely determination and I spot it.
"Like erstwhile Harry (Grant) went to the Tigers helium said they conscionable don't person that, don't person that enslaved due to the fact that everyone lives truthful acold distant from each other, truthful it's truthful overmuch different."
Smith is reportedly facing a good from the NRL implicit the connection helium utilized during the podcast, with the integrity portion investigating.
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