‘Stay positive’: Teammate offers valuable advice for Tyrone Munro as he deals with latest injury setback

Junior Tatola has vowed to be there for Tyrone Munro, with the Souths prop keen for players to not have to go through what he endured last year.

South Sydney teammates have rallied around young gun Tyrone Munro following his latest injury setback, with the try-scoring machine expected to miss up to eight weeks after fracturing his collarbone again in last week’s win over the Dolphins.

Munro scored two tries in the first half but failed to return after the break, with scans confirming he’s set for another stint on the sidelines after he was limited to just four appearances last season.

While the injury setback is frustrating. Rabbitohs forward Keaon Koloamatangi is confident Munro will deal with it given the courage he showed last year.

Scans confirm Ty Munro has fractured his collarbone (4th of his career) & will require surgery.

Surgery reduces the risk of future fracture, but is a tricky procedure with surrounding nerve tissue & odd shape of collarbone (“bendy” bone). 6-8 weeks recovery expected. pic.twitter.com/04n5NE4ain

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 10, 2025

“What he’s been through the last six months, obviously losing his mum and losing his uncle, I don’t think a collarbone injury will do too much to him with how much resilience he has,” he said.

“He’s still the biggest voice in our locker room, there’s so much laughter, so much joy when he’s around. It’s not a major injury, he’s had it before, so I’m pretty sure he’ll come back better than ever.”

Teammate Junior Tatola has offered to be there for Munro if he ever needs someone to chat with during the rehab process, with the prop forward going through his own personal hell last year when a foot injury threatened to end his career.

Tatola only played six matches in 2024 due to the injury, which required a couple of surgeries and had several setbacks.

“The main thing for him is being around the boys. Still coming into training and hanging out with us is probably a big positive for him, not being by himself,” he said.

“I told him to try and come in as much as he can and not be alone and stick around by yourself because it just plays on your mind. Not good thoughts go through your head when you’re by yourself.

“I just told him, ‘Come in whenever you can, hang out with the boys but just stay positive’.

Junior Tatola made his NRL return last week after almost 11 months out of the game. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“For myself, I definitely got a bit isolated. I didn’t really want to see anyone or talk to anyone during that time. It was a bit tough but I had a few boys here that I leaned on to talk to and get through that tough moment.

“I just told ‘Ty’, if he needs anything or if he needs to have a chat or whatever – because he just moved down the road from me – if he needs to go grab a coffee or grab a feed, I’m always there for him.”

Tatola’s struggles last year show that even the strongest men on the field can do it tough sometimes, with the prop forward encouraging players to speak with others and to not fight these battles alone.

“I just didn’t want to talk to anyone but I ended up getting out of that headspace and leaning on the boys here that had a bit of experience with injury and stuff,” he said.

“They told me to get out and talk to someone about it because the more you keep it inside, the more you’re in your own head, bad thoughts and bad things happen. I told Ty just stay positive.

“On the field we’re probably all tough and that but outside of footy there’s stuff we can’t control. We all have emotions and we all have stuff that’s going on.

“If I can speak out and find someone that’s close to you that you can talk to, just reach out as a mate.”

Originally published as ‘Stay positive’: Teammate offers valuable advice for Tyrone Munro as he deals with latest injury setback