Cameron Munster Market Watch: Dolphins open war chest in bid to cut star’s Storm contract short
Wayne Bennett is prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to bring Queensland Origin star Cameron Munster to the Dolphins next season.
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Super coach Wayne Bennett is prepared to buy out Cameron Munster’s entire $1.2 million Melbourne contract in an extraordinary bid to bring the Queensland Origin star to the Dolphins next season.
News Corp can reveal Bennett has personally contacted Munster to spruik his vision for the Dolphins and his plan to make the Maroons maestro the blue-chip franchise player of the NRL’s new expansion team.
The battle for Munster’s signature is hotting up with Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp on Sunday hitting back at the Dolphins, insisting the Storm will not grant the playmaker an early release to return to Queensland in 2023.
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Munster is off-contract at the end of next season, meaning he is off-limits to the Dolphins until 2024, and the final year of his Melbourne contract is worth $1.2 million.
His 2023 salary will make Munster the highest-paid player in the code alongside Queensland Origin halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans, who is on $1.25m at Manly.
But Bennett is going down swinging.
Mindful of Melbourne’s hardline stance, and the Dolphins’ increasingly desperate need to land a marquee signing to be the face of their organisation, Bennett is ready to up the ante financially to expedite Munster’s acquisition.
The Dolphins are armed with a four-year, $1 million-a-season deal for Munster, but with Tripp making it clear a Storm subsidy is out of the question, Bennett will consider increasing their offer to $1.2m for 2023.
That effectively represents a total buy-out of Munster’s 2023 Storm contract. However, that may still not be palatable for Melbourne, who are putting principle ahead of dollars with Munster and are renowned for their hard-nosed attitude of making players honour contracts they sign.
Munster’s manager Braith Anasta said the two-time premiership winner is happy to see out his Storm deal, even if Bennett is doing everything possible to reunite with his former Origin pivot next season.
“To be honest, I find it hard to see Cameron at the Dolphins in 2023,” Anasta said.
“Melbourne have Munster under contract for next year and there is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that they will uphold their part of the deal.
“If he went anywhere, it would have to be for 2024.
“The Dolphins won’t be the only option for Cameron, but the reason they have been so highlighted is because of their current situation and the fact they need star players as a new franchise, so it’s a unique situation.
“Cam has a great relationship with Wayne from their time in the Origin team, but he also loves Melbourne and they are his priority at the moment.”
Should the Dolphins miss out on Munster for 2023, they face going into their debut season without a superstar on their books, especially after Kalyn Ponga inked a new deal with the Knights last week.
The Dolphins are confident they will get Munster eventually, with the Storm ace set to pocket an extra $2.5 million if he quits Melbourne and finishes his career with the NRL’s 17th team.
Munster’s halves partner at Melbourne Jahrome Hughes last month signed an extension until the end of 2026 and he hopes the Maroons match-winner also stays loyal.
“I really hope Cam stays,” Hughes said.
“I know a little bit of his situation and I hope he decides to stay.
“He is from Queensland so that is an option for him to go home and play for the Dolphins, but he has another two years here and he is in no rush to sign anything.
“I’ve had some conversations with Cam and he has indicated he wants to stay, but he wants time to decide his future and hopefully he gets what he wants.
“I am confident he will sign on with us, but the final call is with Cam and his family.”
Storm warning: Dolphins’ latest Munster blow
The underfire Dolphins have been dealt another crippling blow with Melbourne ruling out an early release for Queensland Origin superstar Cameron Munster to link with super coach Wayne Bennett next season.
Melbourne supremo Matt Tripp has given the Dolphins a slapdown, saying the Storm have no interest in considering a subsidised transfer for Munster to spearhead the premiership debut of the NRL’s 17th team in 2023.
Foundation coach Bennett is under mounting pressure to secure a franchise player with the Dolphins having missed out on at least 10 top-line stars, including Harry Grant, Brandon Smith, Jahrome Hughes and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
The latest hammer blow came on Tuesday when Queensland Origin ace Kalyn Ponga rejected Bennett’s interest to ink a new five-year, $6 million upgrade with Newcastle.
Munster is the other blue-chip superstar in Bennett’s sights and he ticks the boxes as a born-and-bred Queenslander who has won two premierships and scaled the sport’s summit by playing Origin and Test football.
The Dolphins are armed with a four-year, $4 million offer for Munster. But there is one major impediment. The Maroons maestro is contracted to Melbourne until the end of 2023 and the Dolphins were hoping the Storm were open to releasing him 12 months early after last month outlaying $8 million to upgrade Grant, Hughes and Xavier Coates, putting pressure on their salary cap.
Tripp, however, is playing hardball. The Storm have already lost forward trio Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi to the Dolphins. Tripp has no interest in serving up one of the NRL’s best playmakers on a platter and weakening Melbourne to strengthen the Dolphins.
“No, we wouldn’t consider an early release for Cameron Munster,” Tripp said.
“I don’t know how much of a threat the Dolphins are, but I would like to think our guys have built something special here at the Storm and would like to stay together.
“We’re still hopeful of retaining Munster with what salary cap space we’ll have left.”
Melbourne’s stance is perhaps the most painful kick in the guts so far for the Dolphins.
While they have been linked with a slew of names since winning the NRL’s 17th licence six months ago, Munster was always the No.1 target in the eyes of super coach Bennett - even ahead of Origin teammate Ponga.
The Dolphins remain confident they can outbid the Storm to lure Munster from 2024 onwards. But the Dolphins ideally need Munster for their premiership kick-off in 2023. Without him, the expansion newcomers risk going into their first season without a genuine match-winner in the halves.
The Dolphins have huge wraps on halfback recruit Isaiya Katoa, poached as the best young player from Penrith’s system, but he is only 19 and Bennett is reluctant to throw him in the deep end.
The Dolphins have yet to secure a big name for the four key slots in their playmaking spine. Bennett concedes he needs a marquee scalp in the backline.
“We certainly need to get some quality backs,” he said.
“It’s a very small market for the best players, so we have to make sure we stay calm and patient and make sure we don’t spend money on guys who can’t get the job done for us.”
Dolphins’ $4m lure for Munster
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett will go all-in with a $4 million raid on Queensland Origin star Cameron Munster in the wake of Kalyn Ponga’s decision to stay loyal to Newcastle.
Bennett will seek a formal meeting with Munster in the coming weeks armed with a four-year, $1 million-a-season offer in a desperate bid to secure a marquee player for the Dolphins’ debut season in 2023.
Bennett met with Ponga a fortnight ago but the Newcastle superstar on Wednesday became the 10th top-line player to reject the Dolphins, intensifying pressure on the super coach to land a big scalp.
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Munster has been offered a two-year extension by the Storm worth $750,000 a season, but expansion newcomers the Dolphins have the salary-cap space to meet the Maroons pivot’s $1 million price tag.
In financial terms, Munster stands to pocket an extra $2.5 million by defecting to the Dolphins as Bennett looks to leverage the relationship that saw the duo combine to sink NSW in Queensland’s 2020 Origin series boilover.
Munster is off-contract at the end of next season, but the Dolphins will explore ways to secure the Storm playmaker 12 months earlier for their NRL entry in 2023.
Bennett has signed 10 players thus far for his 36-man full-time roster, headlined by Storm trio Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, Souths prop Mark Nicholls, Eels ironman Ray Stone and Penrith halfback whiz-kid Isaiya Katoa.
But Bennett’s pulling power has been tested, with the Dolphins missing out on a string of big-name targets, including Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Siosiua Taukeiaho, Junior Paulo and Brandon Smith.
Ponga delivered another kick in the guts for the Dolphins by inking a $5 million extension with the Knights, but Bennett dismissed concerns the NRL’s 17th team will be whipping boys.
“I’m not hitting the panic button,” he said in the wake of Ponga’s announcement.
“There’s only so many marquee players out there but I’m not going to dwell on the guys who haven’t joined us.
“It has been as hard as I expected (to sign players). All the existing clubs are tangible, many players are happy at their clubs. We are building a new club. It’s all unknown.
“It was the same with the Broncos in 1988, but we had the advantage because of State of Origin and the Queensland guys who were playing in the Brisbane competition.
“The Broncos had a leg up, but the Dolphins don’t have a leg up.
“It’s vital we are competitive from day one. No one wants to see us getting flogged by 30 or 40 points. But I know the type of players we need and we will be ready to go this time next year. I’m confident we will get the job done.”
Munster’s manager Braith Anasta told News Corp last week the Dolphins are a major threat to the Storm.
“The way things have fallen, the Dolphins are interested,” Anasta said.
“We haven’t had talks with Wayne or the Dolphins yet, but we will look to meet very soon.
“The truth is the Storm’s offer is not even close to what I believe is Cameron’s market value.
“We knocked back their offer a few weeks ago and we haven’t heard anything since.
“Munster is worth $1 million in my eyes.
“Melbourne have made their priorities clear, so it’s up to Cameron now to decide what he wants to do over the next few years.”
Knights learn the hard way after kowtowing to Ponga’s father
COMMENT -Dean Ritchie
Kalyn Ponga is staying at the Knights, the circus is over.
Newcastle retained their star player on Wednesday but have been exposed as a club guilty of allowing an intrusive father – Andre Ponga in this case — to stockpile too much control.
The deal was on, off and then back on again. Newcastle’s management was so desperate to retain Kalyn that they kowtowed to Andre.
And Andre sensed their weakness.
A father-son NRL management team – particularly if the son is a superstar – can be high-risk and hazardous.
After Kalyn agreed to the new deal a fortnight ago, Andre – not the club — wanted authority over when and how to announce the news.
Andre then wanted to manage several members of the club’s NRLW team, despite it being a clear conflict of interest. And it was Andre who allowed his son to meet with a rival club — the Dolphins — in the middle of an NRL season.
Newcastle was fed-up and pulled the offer.
And make no mistake, the deal was withdrawn and then reinstated.
Andre, perhaps realising the errors of his ways, attempted to mend some fractured relationships at the club. He may also have been made aware that Kalyn’s other suitor, the Dolphins, were quickly going lukewarm on his son.
Once Andre and the club made peace, the deal was back and Kalyn – desperate for the entire episode to end — signed quickly. That quickly in fact it was done with club CEO Phil Gardner still on holiday in Hawaii.
There were officials in high places at Newcastle that were prepared to allow Kalyn to leave and it took some delicate yet persistent coercing for them to come around.
Ponga’s deal was secured more than a fortnight ago. I wrote that on our back page on April 4. It was headed: “Exclusive, Knights star set to stay.”
I then wrote a piece earlier this week which sent rugby league into meltdown. The Ponga deal had been ripped off the table.
I copped criticism from multiple journos who make a living out of rubbishing stories rather than breaking their own. The same reporters who swallow the fabricated line clubs sell them rather than digging for the truth.
Newcastle went into damage control this week and they brought it all on themselves. You hand over too much power to the father – just so the son re-signs - and it never ends well.
Andre has now agreed to pull back, his influence at the club finally eroded. And with that the deal is done.
The Daily Telegraph stands by its story that the offer was withdrawn.
We reported the drama involving Andre which, through our exposure, was quickly doused.
A text arrived on my phone on Wednesday afternoon from highly respected journalist Neil Breen. It read: “Well done on the Ponga story, bro. Smoked them out and then ‘whammo’. Good for you, Breenie.”
Yep, I guess Andre was smoked out.
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Originally published as Cameron Munster Market Watch: Dolphins open war chest in bid to cut star’s Storm contract short
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