Cameron Munster struggles to play footy with neck injury

Sometimes Cameron Munster gets a burning sensation down his arm, sometimes he struggles to pass the ball. But for the Kangaroos No.6, this kind of pain is just “part and parcel of playing footy”.

• Manly’s $12m deal to keep Turbos
• New Chooks will learn from the master

The burning sensation in Cameron Munster’s neck is so bad at times he says he struggles to pass a football.

The Kangaroos No.6 has put up a brave face since injuring his neck in a clash with a Storm teammate against the Gold Coast in August. He missed Melbourne’s final regular season match but has largely played on despite being in severe discomfort at times.

Munster has been at pains to play down the severity of the injury but revealed he would require surgery at some stage.

Stream the 2019 Oceania Cup Live & On-Demand on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >

Munster has played down the injury’s seriousness. Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images

“Everyone plays with niggles,” Munster said. “I’m not going to sugar coat it, (the neck) just steers. If I get jammed with a lot of weight on it and sometimes if I get in an awkward tackle I get a bit of a burner down my left hand side. Sometimes I struggle to pass the ball. That’s part and parcel of playing footy.

“If it’s not this year, eventually I will have to get surgery. But at the moment it’s fine.”

Munster has been wary of the injury and has tried to strengthen the muscles around his neck to give himself extra protection. He spoke with the Storm medical staff about skipping the end of season Tests but Munster wanted to re-claim his Kangaroos jersey after pulling out of last years matches for personal reasons.

Playing for the Kangaroos is too important to Munster. Photo: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“We’ve looked at it,” Munster said. “It’s inflammation around my neck. Eventually it’ll go away. I have to strengthen my neck up. It’ll take time. I’ll do rehab and strengthening of it. But come round one next year I’ll be fine. At this stage it’s sweet.

“I did it against the Titans. I got in an awkward tackle. I crashed my head and neck with one of my teammates. I stretched it a fair bit. The joint and the neck is a bit irritated. I need time for it to settle down. I wasn’t knocked out or something the doctors or physios are really worried about. It’s just an ongoing issue.

“(Missing the Tests) was a thing in my head with the club and the physios asking me if I wanted to play. I said ‘100 per cent I want to play’. When you get the opportunity to play for Australia you have to take it with both hands.”

MORE NEWS

Maxwell taking break from cricket for mental health reasons

The massive price to lure Zlatan down under

Munster again felt the burning sensation during the Kangaroos win against New Zealand last week. He came from the field against Manly in round 24 and also set a scare through the Storm camp during their semi-final win against Parramatta because of the injury. Munster went viral after being hammered by Jorge Taufua in that match against the Sea Eagles but it wasn’t that hit which irritated his injury.

“I can go through games where I get flogged like I did against Jorge Taufua and I come off sweet,” Munster said. “There are times there looks like it’s a nothing tackle and I come up sore.

“When my neck decides to go in a certain spot it ends up being irritated. It’s fine at the moment.”

Originally published as Cameron Munster struggles to play footy with neck injury