Cameron Smith has done his best to say his rousing send off late in Melbourne's NRL preliminary defeat of Canberra was no farewell lap, even if it looked a lot like one.
The Storm hooker was subbed off with five minutes to go as his side progressed to next week's grand final courtesy of a 30-10 win over the Raiders.
He left the field on the opposite side to the bench, walking slowly and waving to the 37,000-strong crowd who slowly rose to their feet.
He and his teammates joined in a huddle before he was then chaired off the ground by Jesse Bromwich and Dale Finucane, Smith bashfully grinning as Melbourne players showered him in sports drinks.
The 37-year-old has remained tight-lipped about his future, with the 2020 decider potentially shaping as the fairytale send-off after 19 seasons at the top.
Smith did his best to laugh off suggestions that Friday's theatrics were a goodbye to his Queensland fans.
"I was getting half a standing ovation but I don't know why," he said.
"It wave very nice and I'm very grateful but it wasn't so much a farewell, more a relief to go to another grand final.
"The message that came out to me was just 'get off the field' because I had some carry-over points from that little tip tackle from a couple of weeks ago, so that's why I came off."
Described in commentary by former Queensland and Australian teammate Johnathan Thurston as "the greatest I've seen go around", Smith showed he still had it when he made a brilliant try-saving tackle on Raiders back Nick Cotric.
"It's just about competing and at this time of year you have to compete on every play," he said.
"If you don't put yourself in the picture you don't know hat's going to happen ... if you don't do it in these big moments ... results can go against you.
"It doesn't matter what the score is, what part of the game it is, you have to compete on every play and the harder you work sometimes luck goes your way and I got a little bit lucky tonight with getting Nick on the line."
"They're a tough side, a really gritty side and to be able to play the way we did tonight."
