Cameron Munster opens up on stressful negotiations, captaincy plans for 2023

The NRL superstar has opened up on his huge plans for 2023 as the Melbourne Storm grapple with a concerning lack of experience.

Cameron Munster has described his recent contract negotiations with the Melbourne Storm and Dolphins as “the most stressful time of my life”.

The Storm star had been linked with a lucrative switch to join the NRL’s newest franchise amid negotiations that played out publicly and dramatically for most of the 2022 season.

In the end he put pen to paper on a new deal keeping him at the Storm until 2027, rejecting a reported four-year offer from Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins worth $5.6 million.

Now the 28-year-old has opened up on the mental toll of the saga and just how close he came to calling it quits on the Storm.

“I was ready to tell some of the boys I was leaving,” Munster told the Sydney Morning Herald.

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Cameron Munster said he was exhausted by the negotiations. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

“To be completely honest, the club has given me so much, they could have easily shown me the door.

“It wasn’t about the money at all; money comes and goes. This is what I was really looking for, to play until I’m 33 at such a great club as the Storm.

“The crazy part is I’m not a stressful guy, I’m a laid-back person where nothing fazes me, but that was the most stressful time of my life.”

While Munster’s decision to remain in Melbourne delighted the Storm, it infuriated those at the NRL’s newest expansion club given the high hopes they had for the Kangaroos five-eighth to be their star man.

Wayne Bennett was especially fuming that Munster didn’t call him before the decision went public, even suggesting the NRL star wasn’t man enough to let him know the bad news first hand.

Munster said he was now moving forward and had “let it go” despite earlier admitting to being hurt by Bennett’s comments.

Wayne Bennett’s relationship with Cameron Munster has been strained. Credit: NRL Images.

“Me and my management felt it was best not to open up old wounds,” Munster said.

“At the end of the day, he wanted me to come there, I was very interested in going there and, unfortunately, it panned out the way it did.

“Would I have liked to have handled it better? Probably, yes. But at the end of the day, with the comments that were made, I’ll just leave it at that.”

In one of the most fascinating insights of his interview, Munster also shed light on his captaincy aspirations at the Storm as the club grapples with a leadership void.

Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi all departed in off-season, meaning a new-look Melbourne will be a much younger bridge in 2023.

Munster has revealed his captaincy aspirations.

“A lot of leadership and experience has left the club, and I’m probably the most senior player at the club,” Munster said. “That’s scary to think.

“There’s a lot of speculation and question marks over whether I can lead the team. I’m getting better and improving, but there’s still a long way to go in that leadership mindset.

“If they think it will elevate my game a bit more by having a bit more responsibility on my shoulders, I’m more than happy to take it.”

The Storm kick off their 2023 NRL campaign against the Parramatta Eels on Thursday March 2.