[citation needed] He moved to Townsville as a teenager because his older brother Dylan Smith had an under 20s contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.

[13][14][15] On 24 July, he signed a major contract extension with Melbourne, tying him to the club until the end of 2022, with the intention of his becoming Cameron Smith's replacement as hooker.

In round 23, against the Eels, Smith demonstrated his gritty character by playing a vital role for his depleted team, displaying determination to win with an injured knee.

[18] On 2 July, in Round 8 of the Telstra Premiership, Smith played his 50th NRL game on Thursday Night Football against the Sydney Roosters.

Smith played a total of 24 games for Melbourne in the 2021 NRL season as the club won 19 matches in a row and claimed the Minor Premiership.

[28] In round 1 of the 2023 NRL season, Smith made his club debut for the Sydney Roosters as they suffered a shock loss to the newly admitted Dolphins team.

[29][30] On 21 May, the Sydney Roosters hit back at claims that Smith had been taking illegal substances on a live stream along with fellow players Terrell May, Zach Dockar-Clay, Naufahu Whyte and Spencer Leniu.

The club released a statement which read "The Sydney Roosters have been made aware of a small clip from a longer live stream that some on social media have claimed identifies behaviour that breaches NRL rules.

The clip reveals no use of illicit substances or any other breach of NRL rules, however some see fit to make that grossly distorted and clearly damaging claim".

[31] On 10 June, it was reported that the Sydney Roosters had issued Smith with a breach notice in relation to him missing a mandatory mid-season review session.