When Cameron Smith runs out on Saturday to break the NRL games record he will do so wearing a purple jersey, just as it should be.
In the build up to his special milestone, Smith was asked to reflect on the moment he nearly moved back to Queensland.
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It was in the early stages of the 2014 season, when speculation was circling that the Storm skipper could have been heading back north.
By that time he had been in Melbourne for 12 years and faced a difficult decision about where he and wife Barbara would raise their three children.
The lure of family support back in Brisbane was a factor weighing heavily on Smith mind as he grappled with what to do.
As the 2014 season prepared to kick-off and with no decision made, Smith has revealed how one conversation with his wife suddenly made it all clearer.
“My wife knew that it was an uneasy decision so she sat me down and said to me ‘whatever you want to do, I will be happy’,” Smith said.
“A weight just came off my shoulders when she said that to me because I knew that Melbourne was where I wanted to be. I am very thankful that I got the opportunity to stay.
“My gut feeling was that I wanted to be a one-club man. I knew that my rightful place was at Storm.”
Three years on, because of that conversation, Storm fans will get the chance to see their captain create history this Saturday at AAMI Park.
