Cameron Munster opens up on his new contract, captaincy and his inspiration
Storm superstar Cameron Munster is an obvious candidate to take over the captaincy of the club - but what might be best for the club is not what might be best for the man.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Melbourne star Cameron Munster was done. His mind had been made up. He was leaving the Storm. Come November 1, he would throw himself on the open market, a move that had the potential to spark a frenzy of big-money bids for his services.
Only now can it be revealed how close Munster was to packing his bags and ending a lifelong love affair with the Storm.
“I was done,” Munster told News Corp.
“Trippy [Chair Matt Tripp] and the owners and the club knew that.”
Munster opened up how close he came to leaving Melbourne, his captaincy aspirations and his desire to inspire his own son Jaxon in an expansive interview this week in Manchester, where is a central figure in Australia’s bid to retain the World Cup.
Munster comes across as an old-fashioned larrikin and for much of the time he is. However, even he conceded he was weighed down by contract negotiations with the Storm, which went on forever.
There were times when Melbourne were ready to admit defeat, which would have handed Munster to the Dolphins or Wests Tigers on a silver platter.
Tripp refused to give up but it was Craig Bellamy’s reassurance that he would continue coaching and Penrith’s grand final win that convinced Munster to stay.
STRESSING OUT
Munster is always one of the most jovial figures in Kangaroos camp but his happy-go-lucky nature was pushed to its limits as talks with the Storm painstakingly went on for months.
Munster had no desire to walk out on the club but the interest from elsewhere suggested he would be leaving millions on the table by staying.
He was stressing out as he contemplated a change of clubs.
“It has obviously been a stressful time – I am not going to lie,” Munster said.
“I was jumping back and forth with decisions about what was best for me. I am not a guy who stresses out at all but I reckon this is the most stressful time I have had.
“I never wanted to leave and there was a stage there where I was going to do it. I had the idea that I was leaving.
“I had come to terms with it. I was like I am over the negotiations.”
Munster eventually made the decision to stay in Melbourne and agreed to a four-year extension – he has one year left on his current deal meaning he will stay with the Storm until the end of 2027 – worth more than $4 million on the day the Kangaroos departed for England.
The news leaked as he was making his way through customs, angering Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett but easing Munster’s mind as he prepared to play a key role in Australia’s World Cup defence.
“It is something I am happy with and I won’t regret the decision,” he said.
“I am excited for the next five years. I am very lucky that it is done and dusted now and I can play some good footy for Australia.
“Obviously we both had sudden changes of heart and tried to make it work. Ask anyone I was playing with and close to me and they thought I was a done deal and gone.
“I thought I was as well. I was not staying there, I came to terms with that. I was legit waiting until November to have a look at my options and see what options I had.
“There was lots of speculation about Redcliffe but I didn’t have any formal offers.”
BELLAMY’S FUTURE
Craig Bellamy is the only coach Munster has known in the NRL. The multiple premiership winner has a rolling contract that deems he must inform the Storm in March next year whether he plans to continue coaching in 2024.
Bellamy has given every indication next season will be his last as a head coach, although he has done so before. Munster hopes he continues but he also realises that at some point, Bellamy will no longer be the man in charge at the Storm.
“I kind of told Craig that if he wasn’t staying on, I was going,” Munster said.
“He reassured me that he was probably going to have one more year and who knows, he might keep going. Who knows with him.
“That was one of the turning points.”
The other turning point, he says, was Penrith’s win in the grand final. Munster wanted to be at a team capable of challenging for a premiership. The Storm, with him at five-eighth, will always be in the mix.
“I thought I might as well go and challenge myself somewhere else – then I saw how Penrith won the final and went back to back, and how competitive they have been,” he said.
“I felt like I wanted to be competitive and play finals football. I felt the best chance to win another premiership was in Melbourne.
“Regardless of who is going to be the coach or the coaching staff, Melbourne is probably the place to get the best out of myself.”
CAPTAINCY
Having made the decision to commit his future to Melbourne, Munster is eyeing off the chance to take more ownership of the team.
Captaincy is on his radar, although even he concedes it may not necessarily be the best thing for his own game.
Jesse Bromwich and Christian Welch were co-captains for the Storm this year but Bromwich is on his way to the Dolphins and Welch is fighting back from serious injury.
He is also a front rower, meaning he won’t spend the entire 80 minutes on the field. If the Storm decide to head down the path of co-captains again, Munster would like to be in the mix.
“If you asked me that 12 or 18 months ago it wouldn’t have been an option,” Munster said.
“It would be nice to have a ‘C’ next to my name. I have a little bit to go to be a leader off the field. On the field I feel like I am a leader.
“I feel like there are traits I have to sort out to be a leader off the field. I would like to be able to do it but at the end of the day am I a captain, that is something you have to ask yourself.
“It is a goal of mine but is it realistic? I don’t know. I am a realist, I am an honest man. Don’t get me wrong. I want to be a captain but am I ready?
“It sounds good but at the end of the day is it the right thing for my football? Probably not. Will it make me play better footy or would it put too much on my shoulders?
“That’s another thing I need to ask myself. At the end of the day I won’t know until I get the opportunity. If I did get the opportunity I would do as much as I can.
“If they do pick me I would try to do everything I can to lead the team around.”
MUNSTER’S INSPIRATION
Munster’s partner Bianca is about to arrive in Manchester with their infant son Jaxon. Becoming a father has helped him gain some perspective on life.
He has reined in his wild ways, although he has allowed himself to have a drink on the World Cup tour.
Munster wants to continue inspiring not only his own son, but also kids from the Queensland town where he grew up – Rockhampton.
Winning a World Cup would do just that. Munster was a member of the Australian squad in 2017 but never played in the final. This time around, he is one of the players around which the Kangaroos are built.
“Obviously playing at Old Trafford in a final, you won’t get too many options to play there,” Munster said.
“For me personally I was part of the 2017 World Cup squad but I never played at Suncorp with the boys. I was 18th or 19th man that year.
“I didn’t get the opportunity. I am really looking forward to stamping my authority in the final. My partner and son are coming over.
“That would be a dream come true and winning it.”
Munster loves the idea of his son being in the crowd at the home of Manchester United to watch the Kangaroos lift the World Cup.
“My outlet from footy is spending time with my son,” Munster said.
“It has been a tough couple of weeks but I am sure once he gets over here … I will be playing daddy daycare for the next couple of weeks.
“I am really excited and can’t wait. You have to sacrifice things for good to come. I hope I have another 30 or 40 years to watch him grow up.
“You can’t turn down being in an Australian jersey. I want to be a better role model and better player. I want to show that dreams do come true and if he has an aspiration of being something down the track, go and chase them.
“I was just a kid from Rocky hoping to play a couple of NRL games. I have ticked off nearly everything I wanted to do as a rugby league player.
“Who would have thought?”
More Coverage
Originally published as Cameron Munster opens up on his new contract, captaincy and his inspiration
Join the conversation
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Read more
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.
Read more