NRL 2022: Cameron Munster in good head space to set season alight for Melbourne Storm

Billy Slater says there are plenty of reasons why not to write off Melbourne Storm following several big-name departures, but one in particular has caught his eye.

Storm star Cameron Munster. Picture: David Geraghty

Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater has warned against writing off his former club following its spate of big-name departures, declaring the NRL powerhouse was not in “uncharted territory”.

Storm has lost co-captain Dale Finucane, Nicho Hynes and Josh Addo-Carr and will lose Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi at the season’s end.

But Slater, who is a Storm specialist consultant and was on hand to help launch the club’s Ride the Storm 2022 campaign on Wednesday, said the club had been here before.

“Whenever you lose quality players your depth always takes a hit, but this is certainly not uncharted territory for the Melbourne Storm,” Slater said.

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Cameron Munster has caught Billy Slater’s eye as he looks well placed for a huge season.

“This has been happening for quite a number of years and it’ll happen again next year when the Bromwich boys and Kaufusi move on and that’s just a part of the game.

“To be honest, I’ve never heard an opposition player or coach talk about that, it’s the media and I understand that because I’m involved in the media and you’ve got to create content.

“But I think you’ve got to do that with extreme caution if you’re going to write the Storm off.

“The environment at the Storm is always looking to improve and striving for excellence and I haven’t seen anything different (this pre-season).

“All good clubs lose good players from time to time, but you’ve got to focus on what the club does have rather than what has left.”

Slater, who has been working closely with the outside backs this summer, said star five-eighth Cameron Munster had in particular caught his eye on the track.

Munster has been training the house down since last season’s white powder scandal.

“He had quite a chequered end to the season last year and he’s really committed himself over the summer,” Slater said.

“He’s in great physical shape and his touch with the football has been really impressive over the pre-season.

“It’s not uncommon for him to impress because he’s got great skill and talent, but he just looks really committed at the moment.

“Maybe having a young one in the off-season has settled him down a little bit, but he seems to be in a really great space.”

Storm will play the NZ Warriors in a trial game at Casey Fields at 4pm on Saturday.

Dolphins’ dream target set to ink mega deal

Melbourne have opened contract talks with Cameron Munster as the Storm look to stave off Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins with a mega upgrade to keep the Queensland Origin star at the club for life.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Storm have begun preliminary discussions with Munster in a move that could see the controversial Maroons match-winner ink a five-year package worth more than $4 million.

Munster’s future at Melbourne was in serious jeopardy just five months ago when Queensland’s No.1 player was embroiled in the white-powder scandal that saw him fined $30,000 by the NRL and issued a one-match premiership ban.

But after entering a Brisbane rehab facility before Christmas, Munster has returned to Melbourne with renewed focus, promising to produce one of the best campaigns of his decorated career this season.

Having already lost key forward trio Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi to the Dolphins, the Storm are wary of being ripped apart by the NRL’s new expansion team as Bennett eyes off Munster and Jahrome Hughes for 2024.

Cameron Munster has promised a bumper season in 2022 after his off-field dramas last year.

That has prompted Melbourne to get on the front foot by formulating plans to make Munster a one-club legend in the vein of Billy Slater and Cameron Smith.

Munster is already contracted to the Storm until the end of 2023. The classy pivot is on $1.1 million this season, which increases to $1.2 million in 2023, and it is understood Melbourne are open to an extension of up to three years to secure Munster into his 30s.

A longer-term deal would see Munster’s salary reduced to about $800,000 a season as he approaches the latter stages of his career.

The Storm believe a playmaking spine of Munster, Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Grant can maintain their dominance and Melbourne chiefs are confident the Maroons ace will not quit the club to link with Bennett at the Dolphins.

“We’re keen to extend Cameron, that’s part of our strategy,” Storm recruitment chief Paul Bunn said. “We’ve initiated talks with quite a number of our players, including Cameron.

“You need a quality spine to be competitive and Cameron and Jahrome helped us win a premiership (in 2020).

“At the end of 2023, Cameron will be 29 years old, so if he continues to train well and look after his body the way he is doing now, I can’t see any reason why he can’t play for quite a few more years.

“We are looking at our roster moving forward. We will not lose Cameron Munster, I’m pretty confident of that.”

Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett is a huge fan of Munster after they teamed up to topple NSW in the Maroons’ Origin series win in 2020. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

There were fears Munster would be lost to the Dolphins, especially given the relationship the playmaker forged with super coach Bennett during Queensland’s fairytale Origin series win in 2020.

But the pain of Melbourne’s white-powder scandal could have a silver lining for the club.

Munster revealed that saga, which also saw him slapped with a $100,000 suspended fine by the Storm, was a wake-up call that demonstrated why he should stay loyal to a club that signed him as a 17-year-old and for whom he has played 151 NRL games.

Returning for pre-season after his departure from rehab, Munster admitted he had to win back the support of Storm bosses.

“Craig Bellamy (coach) said to me, ‘I want to keep you here but I’m only one person. The board members and owners and everyone else are really pissed off’,” Munster said.

“The only reason I’m still at this club is that I’ve come back with a plan to deal with it (his off-field behaviour).

The Storm want extend Cameron Munster’s contract. Picture: Alison Wynd

“I don’t want to be walking down this dark path anymore. I don’t want to be just a good player, I want to be a great player.

“I’ve got no one holding my hand. It’s up to me now.”

Bunn believes the planned retention of Munster and Hughes would offset the Dolphins’ triple attack on Melbourne’s premiership-winning forward pack.

“The boys who have signed with Redcliffe, we wish them the best of luck,” he said.

“They have signed longer-term deals, so there’s no hard feelings, the Bromwich boys and Felise have served us well, but that gives us space in the salary cap to retain others.”

Originally published as NRL 2022: Cameron Munster in good head space to set season alight for Melbourne Storm