Brandon Smith is DROPPED by Sydney Roosters after footy star ‘overslept and missed team meeting’

Brandon Smith has been dropped after failing to attend a Sydney Roosters team meeting during their NRL bye week.

Smith missed the Roosters’ mid-season review on June 3, a self-described ‘rookie mistake’ which the premiership-winning hooker feared could prompt the club to terminate his lucrative contract.

The sixth-placed Roosters have not yet taken that action, but at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon the club’s coaching staff decided Smith would not play in Saturday’s match against Parramatta.

The decision came after the Roosters served Smith with an infringement notice last week, latest frustrated in a list of indiscretions committed since he arrived from Melbourne in 2023.

Connor Watson, who has been in strong form this season, will start at hooker in place of Smith after recovering from a throat injury.

Brandon Smith has been dropped by the Roosters for their match this weekend

Smith got into trouble after missing a team meeting last week

Smith spoke publicly about the incident for the first time on Tuesday morning, saying he had gone out for coffee with his partner and was unaware the team would meet during the Round 14 bye after leaving his phone at home.

“It was stupid of me,” Smith told The Bye Round podcast.

“You check your schedule before you go to sleep. But I thought about a normal game, you go to sleep and you have a day off after a match.

“Since we had a bye, I thought we’ll definitely do it (have a day off). I should have checked, but I didn’t, and when I got home (the meeting) was over.”

Smith was under contract through 2025 after accepting a player option this year. The infringement notice could be considered a formal warning and was accompanied by a suspended fine.

But during the bye week, he worried there could be more serious consequences.

‘There are a lot of rumors going around because I have a leak. “I started to think I was going to get fired myself,” he said.

‘It is a warning, but also a fine. I don’t know if I pay anything, it’s suspended. If I get that second violation, I’ll pay that fine, but you don’t want a second violation.

“Not much (more disciplinary action) came of it.”

There are concerns about Smith’s lucrative contract with the Sydney club

Smith said he was “pretty sad” throughout the bye week and limited his time on social media in an effort to get out of his funk.

“You can stop sprays, but if you get it in an email form, it’s a lot more intense,” he said.

“I’m trying to divert my energy from it because, honestly, it’s taken up the whole week of saying goodbye.”

Smith has since returned to the team and said he was “the first one to practice” on Monday.

The Roosters teammates managed to laugh off Smith’s mistake, but coach Trent Robinson was less funny.

“The guys were funny and making fun of me,” Smith said.

‘Trent was disappointed because it’s quite a rookie mistake.

“I feel like I’m letting people down, and I don’t like letting people down. It definitely made me want to relax a bit and focus on what’s really important.”