Queensland stars halt Origin celebrations to pay a touching tribute to Cameron Munster's dad after emotion victory against New South Wales
After the death of his dear father Steven in the days before the State of Origin decider in Sydney, Munster led the Maroons to a 24-12 win in what was his finest hour as a footballer.
The 29-year-old wiped away tears as he embraced his coach Billy Slater post-match. The bravery and strength of character shown by Munster to play was an inspiration to his coach and also to his teammates who all lifted to a man.
In the changing rooms after the match, the Maroons stars sang and sprayed beer as they celebrated winning bragging rights over their arch rivals New South Wales.
But they paused for a brief and heartwarming moment to pay tribute to Munster's father, Steven, with coach Billy Slater leading the tributes.
The Maroons players gathered round in a circle, put their arms around their captain and raised their beers in the air in tribute to his father.
An emotional Munster covered his face and dropped his head towards the floor, overwhelmed with emotion.
After the match, Munster was interviewed by his childhood hero Darren Lockyer on Channel Nine and all the feelings of his turbulent week spilled out.
'Look, it's a tough one, like a high of emotions. When someone loses someone, you forget about it sometimes, but then it brings back memories,' Munster said.
'I just want to say thank you to all of the rugby league community, they've been outstanding.
'I've had so much support and text messages from not only rugby league (people). Family is more important than anything, and a lot of people showed that the last couple of days and really got behind me.'
Munster has grieved with his family this week and singled them out for being rocks of support.
'Thank you to my Mum, my sister, my partner Bianca and the kids for getting behind me this weekend,' Munster said.
'I know it's been a tough time, but that's life.
'I just want to appreciate everyone that's been around me and made this week so special. We'll enjoy tonight and I can't wait to obviously go next year and hopefully see what we can do.'
Munster has received great support from his Maroons teammates but also from his Blues opponents, which clearly moved him.
'I'd just like to thank the NSW Blues, Isaah (Yeo), Nathan (Cleary), Laurie Daley and all the coaching staff and all the players,' Munster said at the official presentation.
'I really appreciate some of you reaching out to me during the week. It just shows how good rugby league is.
'Family's bigger than the sport. Thank you for rallying behind me. It doesn't go unnoticed. I'm in awe of all you guys and you'll be back bigger and better next year.'
Munster's two performances as captain of the Maroons don't get any better.
He was man of the match in the 26-24 win in game two in Perth to keep the series alive and then played a controlled, disciplined and also dangerous role in the decider.
His kicking display was as good as any in his 21-game Origin career.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Raised by Lions, Morgan ready for the Test arena
Australia v British and Irish Lions - second TestVenue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday, 26 July Kick-off: 11:00 BSTCoverage: Live on BBC Radio Cymru, text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app with post-match analysis on iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and Rugby Union Weekly podcast. Flanker Jac Morgan seemed destined from an early age to be part of a British and Irish Lions series in Sunday for the best part of 10 years, 1989 Lions series winners Rob Jones and Clive Rowlands would be on the sidelines at Cwmtwrch RFC watching Morgan turn out for the junior team. Rowlands and Jones were watching Tiaan, their grandson and son respectively, play in the same side as was scrum-half and Rowlands team manager in the Lions squad that triumphed in Australia 26 years Swansea Valleys could again be represented in a series-winning side, with Morgan named as a replacement for Saturday's second Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Travelling faithful There is a travelling contingent of around 30 from Cwmtwrch in Australia hoping to see Morgan help the Lions clinch the series, after the tourists won last week's opening are more in attendance from Morgan's home village Brynaman, which is two includes family and a couple of the Ospreys back rower's best mates. One has even made the trip with a six-month-old baby to be there. Unfortunately it was too long a journey for his grandparents. When it was suggested his grandfather Garth Morgan, who was a close friend of Clive's, would be watching in the rugby club, it was met with bemusement from Jac's father Rhodri."He [Garth] always watches in the house with the volume full-blast, so he doesn't miss a thing," he said."Then he'll go to the club on the final whistle." Family affair Rhodri and his wife Rhian have made the trip among a large Morgan contingent but they are not shouting about of sounding too boastful, they typify the reserved Welsh nature. Call the Welsh anything, just never was there a moment they realised their son was special? "Jac was named forward of the tournament in South Africa when he went there with Wales Under-18s and I thought then, maybe he is alright," said is said half-jokingly, but they are immensely proud. If Wales were only going to have one Test Lion on this trip, they have a true Welshman. More comfortable conversing in his native tongue than English, actions speak louder than words for the hard-working back rower, humbly representing the Welsh village he is from and now the Morgan means a lot to Cwmtwrch, what does the village mean to him?"Everything really," says Rhian."He's with his own there. They've always backed him, not just for his rugby but for him as a person. "He's as comfortable with three-year-olds as the 80-year-olds who are sitting by the bar." Recognised for Lions Test selection That attitude is mirrored on the pitch. As comfortable in the number six or seven, Morgan played 50 minutes at blindside flanker for the first time this tour on Tuesday in the victory against First Nations & Pasifika will now take his place on the bench this week having missed out on a spot in Brisbane last Saturday, where the tourists won 27-19 with Wales not having a player involved in a Lions Test squad for the first time since inclusion is significant. Not because he is Welsh but because there is a strong feeling he has deserved more from the tour. The heated discussion around flanker Tom Curry's selection at seven last week had more than the Englishman's ability at its all, Lions head coach Andy Farrell was essentially picking one world-class flanker over others. Ireland openside Josh van der Flier was World Rugby player of the year in 2022 and has not yet played in a Lions Test. Curry more than justified his selection with a magnificent performance. It was the lack of sentimentality around rewarding tour form that fired up the fans. It is the Lions ethos, after all. Picking on merit Farrell has not been swayed by romance or nationality selection this week has rewarded form but it is also the best fit for the head coach who is targeting a 3-0 series win. With Australia's best ball-carriers Will Skelton and Rob Valetini returning in predicted wet weather at the MCG, Morgan's tackling and relentless work at the breakdown is favoured off the bench ahead of England back row Ben Earl's carrying. The Welshman is second in the charts for tackling and joint top for turnovers won on this tour. It is that ethic which means Morgan is not just a Wales favourite in Australia. He has been championed by fans of other nations too, who can appreciate a player putting everything into their to former England wing Ugo Monye and Scotland flanker John Barclay, every other fan they bump into in Australia is Welsh. It is something England and Leicester lock Ollie Chessum has also noticed."Everywhere you go, there's a Welsh contingent of fans and every time they see him they go wild," said Chessum, who has a Welsh-speaking girlfriend."The people in Wales are going to get what they've been waiting for at the weekend." Morgan the man There is a generation of Welsh fans who will eulogise about the back rowers of the 1970s such as Terry Cobner, Derek Quinnell and Mervyn recently, we have seen the generation of Sam Warburton and Taulupe Faletau. Now we have Morgan whose name might start to stand alongside previous greats. Unlike some of his predecessors, he has had to cope with being the solitary Welsh player on this with the famous 1971 Lions tour of New Zealand which had an average of eight Welsh starters per that weight getting to him? Not according to his father: "If it is, he's not showing it."Morgan has had to cope with adversity during his career. He has consistently stood out in a struggling Welsh side and led a group of players with dignity and grace who deserve more from authorities running the game. He and his peers have stepped into an environment, led at times by a directionless Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), with the players forced to deal with constant distractions of threats of player strikes and mergers with a noticeable lack of succession planning. That lack of respite from the off-field turmoil is epitomised by Morgan excelling on a Lions tour, while wondering what the future of the Ospreys side he captains will be, after the WRU announced it could cut the amount of professional sides in Wales. Bertie's big day That will be put to one side for now, ahead of Morgan's big day in man who has been hoping for this moment is Morgan's old Cwmtwrch junior coach Bertie said on Tuesday he was yet to see his old mentor, who coached the Wales captain for 10 years at junior level and has been a school friend of his father since they were 11. When asked whether he will have the chance to take it all in, alongside Bertie, at the iconic MCG on Saturday, Jac's dad replied: "It's been a treadmill, I'll enjoy it once it's over."It may be a while before it is over for his son.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australia's cycling queen Sarah Gigante: ‘It's a bit mean, but I love to make others hurt'
Sarah Gigante has an infectious energy that shines through whether she is saluting after blowing away her rivals on the toughest of mountain stages, or celebrating every day as much as her successes on social media. The Australian cyclist even keeps her smile beaming while reflecting on a recent health concern that threatened to bring her promising career to a standstill. But hidden just beneath the surface is a killer instinct to 'make others hurt', as well as a steely determination to overcome challenges on and off the bike that have helped lift Gigante into the cycling form of her life. The 24-year-old is still coming to terms with the thrill and pride taken from finishing on the podium at the Giro d'Italia Donne when she was third overall behind winner Elisa Longo Borghini. Gigante finished 1min 11sec behind the Italian home favourite and defending champion, with Switzerland's Marien Reusser in between, but claimed a pair of spectacular stage wins when soloing away on mountain-top finishes and cemented her place as the best climber in the race with the Queen of the Mountains jersey. Gigante says she 'wasn't expecting even one of those four super cool results' but can't help but wonder what might have been in the race for the maglia rosa, after losing 1min 42sec on the main group including Longo Borghini and Reusser, when her team AG Insurance-Soudal were caught out in crosswinds on stage five. The three-time national champion concedes that she still has room for improvement on the flat as well as downhills, while wanting to build on her strengths in the mountains that are now allowing her to pile on the pain. 'Especially at the end of a tough race, I just love the hard work and pushing myself,' Gigante tells Guardian Australia ahead of this weekend's start to the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. 'And maybe it's a bit mean, but I love to make others hurt. 'I think that's why I'm able to come back from the setbacks, because I just love riding so much, no matter how hard it is. It's my job but mainly it's my hobby and my passion.' Gigante's ability to perform at her best in her job, let alone to just continue to enjoy her hobby and passion, were under threat as she suffered through increasingly regular and intense pain and numbness in her right leg. After several years of frustration without a diagnosis, she was finally found to suffer from iliac artery endofibrosis – a condition that affects the flow of blood and oxygen. 'The artery was all scarred and kinked but also going into spasm every time I exercised, so when I needed more blood, I was getting less,' she says. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion The eventual diagnosis and operation to correct the condition in December meant a nine-month layoff from world tour racing. But it has allowed Gigante to come back stronger than ever. The rapid return to form for a rider who first burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old when winning a national road race title in 2019 and posting a breakout GC result has sent an ominous warning to her rivals. But now that she is fighting fit, Gigante expects her best is still to come. 'It was actually the worst case the surgeon had seen,' Gigante says. 'Since I had it fixed, it has made such a huge difference. I don't think about my leg at all anymore. I do have two massive, really ugly scars, but I don't care because I can ride my bike again, happily but also quickly. 'It was seven weeks [after the operation] until I could ride again. It was quite a lot of waiting and trying not to think too much about the 'what-ifs'. But when I started doing max efforts I was already stronger than when I had been training at the end of last season. The power was already better, almost coming off the couch, just because I had two legs again.' Gigante now hopes to carry her renewed fitness and imposing form into the Tour de France Femmes when it begins on Saturday. It will be her second time riding the biggest stage-race on the calendar, after she was seventh on general classification behind Kasia Niewiadoma last year. The Netherlands' Demi Vollering was second when finishing a mere four seconds down on the Polish winner, after a costly and contentious crash on stage five, but is widely considered to be the rider to beat. Punchy terrain on the opening two stages this year, and sprint finishes that are expected to follow on the next couple of days, have AG Insurance-Soudal earmarking Kim Le Court as their protected GC rider rather than Gigante. The Mauritian has exposed form to challenge for yellow after winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April, though Gigante will aim to stay within touching distance of the GC leaders before the race heads to the mountains from stage six. The GC battle looks set to be shaken up, if not decided, on stage eight which will start with riding 13.2km uphill to Col de Plainpalais, and end with a brutal 18.6km climb at 8.1% to Col de la Madeleine. It looms as Gigante's time to attack. 'We're totally different riders,' Gigante says of combining with Le Court in a one-two punch. 'We can play off each other for stage results when the opportunity comes, but stage eight does look very nice for me with a big mountain at the end. I've definitely had my eye on that one for a while.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Growing confidence gives Wallabies hope of ‘special' win over Lions in MCG clash
As rugby union in Australia prepares to launch into its golden decade, spaceship Wallaby remains a work in progress. Joe Schmidt's vast project has showed promise, but testing has been far from rigorous, and the countdown has now hit zero. At the launchpad of the MCG on Saturday night in a must-win Test against the British & Irish Lions watched by 90,000 fans, it's time for lift off. Schmidt appreciates what a victory would do for Australian rugby. 'I would never be outcome focused,' he said this week. 'But this would be special and it would be special for this group, I think it would accelerate a little bit of their growth as well in terms of gaining confidence.' The former Ireland coach is in a difficult place. The proud Australian rugby community cannot stomach the thought of a series whitewash against the Lions, but the Wallabies are not long out of their doldrums. Though improvement under Schmidt secured spring tour victories over England and Wales last year, the XV to trot out onto the MCG turf remains raw. The captain, Harry Wilson, has played just 24 Tests, and Rob Valetini is the only one in the side outside the front row who has played more than 50. The Wallabies' physicality is expected to be enhanced by the return of Valetini and Will Skelton, both powerful ball-runners and huge athletes. But it is their experience that may be more important for teammates more green than gold. Skelton's long career overseas with French club La Rochelle and record against Europe's best has earned him reverence within the squad. 'His resume speaks for itself,' the full-back Tom Wright said. 'Really calm head, won multiple things in the northern hemisphere, obviously a large – larger than most – frame.' Their marauding presence and ability to find advantage with the ball is expected to earn the Wallabies more of the momentum in the match's opening exchanges. Last week in Brisbane the hosts were overrun, and skilful but diminutive fly-half Tom Lynagh was given a less-than-ideal platform by his forwards in his starting debut. Wright said the players had 'real belief' in Lynagh, even though he has been thrust into the No 10 role only last week following the neck injury to Noah Lolesio. Wright and Lolesio have developed a strong connection at the Brumbies that Schmidt had sought to continue with the Wallabies, but Lynagh is a different proposition. 'I think Tommy's brought his own little swagger that he's got at the Reds,' Wright said. 'I've admired that about his game for a little while. He's got a slight, sort of subtle confidence about himself. I think we're going to see more and more of that ooze out of him the more comfortable he becomes in the starting 10 jersey.' That c-word – confidence – has been a recurring theme for the Wallabies this week. Wilson joined in on Friday. 'We didn't start too well in that first Test but during that second half, once we got a bit of possession, a bit of territory, and started playing our sort of footy, we take a lot of confidence from that.' Schmidt is frank about the stage the Wallabies are in. 'We've got a group of players who haven't won too much in recent times, whether it's in Super Rugby or whether it's internationally, and so I think building confidence is an incremental thing,' he said. 'You've got to get small wins here and there. Winning the second half, it just helps a little bit, but we know that we've got to put more and more, stack more and more of those winning moments together to try to get a result because this weekend is pivotal.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion The weather forecast is for rain and a top of 12C, an outlook that will be familiar to the 40,000 Lions fans in Melbourne for the game. On a slippery field, the Lions players will also be in their element with referee Andrea Piardi, the Italian who took charge of Leinster's United Rugby Championship final and the Lions' 48-0 win over the AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide. After New Zealand referee Ben O'Keeffe controlled the first Test, Schmidt said his team 'just have to adapt' to the different interpretations of the Italian referee. 'As a less-experienced team, that is part of the learning process. While we see it [a Lions Test] as a pinnacle, inevitably when you have less experience you are still learning, and that's something that we're trying to fast track as much as we possibly can.' If the Wallabies lose, impatient critics will demand improvement. The strong play from the First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday means Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Charlie Gamble would then be a chance for the dead rubber of a third Test. But the long-planned transition from Schmidt to Les Kiss next year, and Schmidt's reluctance to effect wholesale change, means there will be little fans can do but to strap in a see where this voyage goes. 'We're not going to expect the same thing from Tom Lynagh and Finn Russell because Finn's been at the top of the game for so long,' Schmidt said. 'We've just got to stay focused on ourselves and our growth and try to accelerate it as best we can.'
