NRL: Smith's Dragon days nearly up

Jeremy Smith of the Dragons. Photo / Getty Images

Today's match between the Broncos and the Dragons will be significant as a key fixture is played out and afterwards - when Kiwis hard man Jeremy Smith is supposed to announce his future.

According to reports from Australia, Smith will begin his last few games as a Dragon today - and is due to say if he will play for the Newcastle Knights or the Cronulla Sharks next season.

Smith, now 30 and the veteran of 90 games for the Dragons and the Storm (2004-2008), plus 11 tests for the Kiwis, is one of those set to move on as St George Illawarra make way for the return of centre Mark Gasnier.

The Knights have already tabled a three-year offer for Smith - and most reports now list the club as Smith's likely destination, in spite of previous speculation linking him to the Sharks where he could join Paul Gallen in one of the NRL's most intimidating back rows.

The Dragons always needed to shed players to accommodate Gasnier's return and Smith, under contract for another year, could be the first of several to go before his time.

Smith is not the only Dragons player with a question mark around his future. Captain and halfback Ben Hornby is off-contract at the end of the year and for months both player and club have claimed a new deal is a matter of formality.

But with the Dragons desperate to prove their premiership credentials in today's vital meeting with Brisbane (and only six weeks from the finals) Hornby has still not re-signed.

Hornby dismissed ideas of an impasse. "There's no hurry [to sign]," he told the Australian newspaper. "I want to stay and the club has indicated they want me here. There's been a bit of movement [in negotiations], but we just want to make sure the terms are right."

Hornby is also 30 and a new contract means he would almost certainly play his entire NRL career for the Dragons.

The club have already re-signed prop Michael Weyman, young front-rowers Trent Merrin and Matt Prior and star playmaker Jamie Soward.

St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust denied delays in the Hornby deal were caused by the complicated negotiations to bring Gasnier back to the fold after 18 months playing rugby union in France. Gasnier and Hornby are both managed by leading player agent George Mimis.

During the Hornby stand-off, Neville Costigan and Beau Henry have been signed while promising winger Kalifa Fai Fai Loa will join North Queensland next year.

Meanwhile, the Eels could rescue the career of four-test Kiwis winger Taniela Tuiaki whose time with the Tigers appears to be over.

Tuiaki is still struggling with an ankle injury suffered almost a year ago and reports suggest the Tigers' patience has run out.

Tuiaki's contract expires in a few months and, off the field since round 24 in 2009, the Auckland-born Tongan is trying to prove his fitness to other clubs in the market for wingers.

Parramatta may step in as they have yet to offer their big winger, Eric Grothe, a new deal. "Guru [Grothe] would be the priority to keep because he's part of the fabric, but if that doesn't happen we'd take a closer look at Tuiaki," a Parramatta insider told the Australian newspaper.

However, it is not yet known if Tuiaki will even get back on to the field this season.