If anyone can overcome tragedy on the big stage, it's Cameron Munster
Indeed, there is no manual to follow for Munster, his family or the Maroons as they attempt to process the unfathomable death of Steven Munster at the age of just 58.
That Munster chose to honour him by playing is no shock. There are few players in the history of the game that can compartmentalise the chaos surrounding them quite like Munster. But then again, the Maroons skipper has never had to contend with anything quite like this.
A 'monkey clapping cymbals' was how the Storm star once famously described his state of mind on the field. It's that ability to 'goldfish' - to forget what has just transpired and make the next play count - that has made him one of the rugby league's greatest clutch performers.
The big stage has never scared Munster, nor has expectation. After being named captain for Origin II, following the controversial sacking of skipper and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, the five-eighth chased the game like only he can. The added responsibility, coupled with the occasion, only provided more motivation. Those close to him feel the tragedy will only spur him on even further.
'Look, there was a fair bit of uncertainty with 'Munn' on Sunday morning when I was sitting in his room, but the one thing he was certain about is, he was very certain that he was playing on Wednesday night,' said Slater, who lost his own father this year.
'That's one thing that he was very firm with. He didn't have a lot of answers for a lot of other things, but he gave that one to me pretty straight.'
The longest chat I've had with Munster was during the 2023 pre-season. It was a heady time for a man once described as the wild child of the NRL; he was still in the process of repairing his reputation following the white-powder scandal just over a year earlier, an incident that resulted in a stint in rehabilitation. And then there was his decision to knock back a mammoth Dolphins deal, a decision that doubly infuriated Wayne Bennett because Munster didn't deliver the news personally.
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