Cameron Munster replaces Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland Origin captain, Pat Carrigan to the bench

Cameron Munster has revealed his emotional response to being named Queensland’s 16th State of Origin captain as coach Billy Slater makes mass changes for the must-win match in Perth.

Cameron Munster says his fightback from a stint in rehab was the making of him as the new Queensland skipper vowed to use the pain of hitting rock bottom to drive the Maroons to victory in Origin II.

Munster reflected on his remarkable metamorphosis from troubled larrikin to leader after being appointed as Daly Cherry-Evans’ captaincy successor for Queensland’s rescue mission in Perth on Wednesday week.

Queensland coach Billy Slater had a raft of legitimate candidates following the axing of Cherry-Evans, with Harry Grant, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Kalyn Ponga among the captaincy options to lead a bold new era.

But Slater is putting faith in one-time wild child Munster.

Four years ago, Munster was embroiled in the biggest scandal of the 2021 season, rocked by the white-powder scandal that saw him fined $100,000, suspended by the NRL and placed on a 12-month alcohol ban.

Munster checked into a rehabilitation facility and when he emerged, the Storm and Maroons five-eighth spoke of his battle with anxiety and gambling.

Now the 30-year-old is a reformed soul, a devoted father of three who has kicked the demon drink to the kerb - and vowed to put the boot into the Blues as the 16th captain in Queensland’s 45-year history.

“I’m pretty emotional,” he said.

“If you asked me that question (about the captaincy) five or 10 years ago, everyone would have laughed in your face.

“I’ve developed in a leadership role over the last three or four years.

“I have grown up a bit.

“It’s terrible circumstances with ‘Chez’ (Cherry-Evans being dropped), I am close mates with him, but someone had to take the role and I’m pretty excited to lead these boys out on Wednesday night.”

Adding to the honour, Munster will celebrate his 20th game for Queensland in Origin II, a feat that will see him receive the prestigious Dick ‘Tosser’ Turner Medal.

But these accolades seemed a world away when Munster went off the rails, drinking, gambling and partying to excess, before the white-powder scandal represented the ultimate wake-up call.

Asked about hitting rock bottom, Munster said: “I think everyone knows what it was about.

“I just made some poor choices off the field and now I want to right the wrongs of that.

“I probably put my name in the dirt there for a little bit, but I want to show that people can change.

“My three kids and my wife helped me turn that corner and I’ve grown a little bit more.

“Having kids probably made me have to grow up a little bit more and want to be a role model, not only for my kids but kids in the community in Queensland.

“Before that I was just worried about myself and not worried about other things and probably the consequences that were going to come with myself and my name.”

Munster is famed for his larrikin nature and the 224-game NRL playmaker is in many ways the antithesis of the squeaky-clean Cherry-Evans.

But the Queensland pivot, hailed as the state’s modern-day version of Wally ‘The King’ Lewis, says he will lead in his own style.

He says he broke down when he received a phone call from Queensland coach Billy Slater on Monday night.

“It was around 9.30pm,” he said.

“Bill messaged me saying are you around, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m just sitting in my room’. Bill said come to my room and I thought, ‘OK, what could this be about’.

New Maroons captain Cameron Munster and coach Billy Slater at the fan day in Gympie. Picture: Lachie Millard

“I thought maybe I was getting dropped or 18th man, but Bill brought me in the room and said I want you to be the captain for Queensland, I think you will do a great job.

“I had a bit of a tear.

“I still am a larrikin. I’m not going to change the person I am, it’s the reason why I am who I am, but now I’ve got to lead this team and try and show actions that a leader does.

“You can be a leader in different ways. You can be a talker, that’s definitely not me, so I want to lead by my actions and no-one loves this state more than myself.

“I love Queensland and I will go out there and give my all.”

WATCH: MAROONS INSPIRING FAN DAY

It is famously known as the town that saved Queensland.

Now Gympie could help save the Maroons in Origin II.

The Queensland Origin team rolled into Gympie, 170km north of Brisbane, on Monday and were greeted by thousands of locals primed to inspire a Maroons fightback in the return bout in Perth on Wednesday week.

Queensland was on the brink of bankruptcy in 1867 when the discovery of gold in Gympie sparked an economic boom that saved the Sunshine State.

Now the Maroons are hoping to strike gold at Perth’s Optus Stadium after they rubbed shoulders with Queensland-mad Gympie fans who swarmed around local hero Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.

Fa’asuamaleaui will be a key man for the Maroons on Wednesday week and the front-row enforcer was blown away by the reception of his Gympie folk.

“It’s great to be here back in my home town and to see all these kids out there playing football,” he said.

“I was one of those kids back in the day and just to see them is awesome and hopefully there’s a few for the future.

“It would have been massive to have these fan days when I was a kid.

“I would have been out there trying to impress everyone, it would have been cool.

Maroons stars show out in Gympie.

“I am so grateful to be here and be in a Queensland team that can motivate these kids and give them something to aspire to.”

Queensland coach Billy Slater says the annual bush visits are one of his most treasured memories, with the Maroons having previously stopped into towns such as Charleville, Roma, Toowoomba and Rockhampton.

Fa’asuamaleaui still returns to his tiny hometown of Widgee near Gympie where his dad Fereti has worked as a boilermaker. He had one special fan watching the Maroons go through their paces at Albert Park.

“My mum is here,” he said. “She has a few friends with her that I knew when I was younger, it’s just to see the smiles on their faces.”

Originally published as Cameron Munster replaces Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland Origin captain, Pat Carrigan to the bench