Sport Confidential: Cameron Munster bets big on ability to stay off the booze

Melbourne Storm stars Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes have put their money on the line in a pre-season booze ban bet - have your say on who will win.

Reigning Dally M Medallist Jahrome Hughes and Melbourne teammate Cameron Munster have both agreed to a year-long booze ban ahead of the 2025 season, putting a massive $10,000 wager down for the disciplined winner.

The only catch is the sacrifices are hilariously unbalanced.

Munster, who has undergone a physical transformation as a result of a strict diet of red meat and organic fruits and vegetables, has agreed to give up alcohol for 2025 in pursuit of the NRL premiership and bettering his body after he battled painful hip injuries last season.

On the other hand, Hughes has agreed to cut down his beloved red wine intake, which he says is a part of his superstitious weekly performance preparation, to four glasses a week.

A glass of red or two worked for him last year, which was his best season in the NRL and earned him the Dally M Medal for player of the season.

The details of the bet were shared on their new weekly podcast One Six Seven along with teammate Ryan Papenhuyzen.

“Red wine is in my routine, and I don’t want to take that away and it makes me perform bad,” Hughes said.

“I pretty much just had red wine after a game (in 2024). but I’m changing that, I’m going to two glasses, twice a week. I’ll have it with dinner on a Tuesday on a something.”

Essentially, his end of the deal is no binge drinking on a night out, no beers and no vodkas.

Whereas Munster is locked in and disciplined with a zero alcohol policy.

“I want him to do whatever he needs to do,” he said of Hughes’s red wine exemption.

“If it means he plays like he did for us last year, he can do whatever.

“There’s a $10k wager on it.”

But it’s about more than the bet for Munster, who missed selection for the Kangaroos at the end of last season to undergo surgery on both hips.

He managed to play 17 games last season, including the grand final loss to Penrith, but wants to deliver Storm a premiership in 2025.

Originally published as Sport Confidential: Cameron Munster bets big on ability to stay off the booze