Queensland captain Cameron Munster leaves Origin camp following tragic death of father
Munster was in Maroons Camp when he got word of the devastating news of his father's shock death overnight.
The newly appointed Queensland Captain will leave his team's camp just days out from the State of Origin series decider.
He will return home to be with his family and then rejoin the team on Wednesday to play Game 3 in Sydney.
Maroons coach Billy Slater stood with his squad as he made a statement to the media on Sunday morning.
"Unfortunately, we woke to the sad news of the passing of Cameron Munster's father, Steven Munster, overnight,' Slater said.
'Cam will exit camp to be with his family before rejoining his team for the game on Wednesday.
"On behalf of myself, our footy team and the state of Queensland we send our thoughts, our love and condolences to Steven Munster's family and friends, in particular his wife Debbie, his daughter Danielle and of course his son Cameron.'
Munster's NRL team the Melbourne Storm also released a statement following their player's loss.
'Melbourne Storm wishes to offer its deepest condolences to the Munster family following the passing of Cameron's father Steve overnight,' the statement said.
'Steve was a beloved member of the Storm family and an incredible supporter of Cameron and the Club.
'He was a regular in the Storm sheds and at events along with his wife, Deborah, and was a constant presence at his State of Origin and Australian representative matches.'
The Melbourne Storm five-eighth will be looking to seal a Maroons victory on Wednesday night in his 21st Origin appearance.
The 30-year-old was man of the match in his first game as captain, winning 26-24 in Game 2 at Perth.
Queensland's victory now means a series decider in Sydney, after New South Wales won Game 1 in Brisbane, 18-6.
No Maroons side in 45 years has lost the first game and won the next two away from home.
Munster said his side will have to relish the underdog status and break another record to ensure victory lands in Queensland's lap come Wednesday night.
"There's a lot riding on it and there's a lot of history that needs to be broken, but things tend to get broken," Munster said post-match in Perth.
"I'm probably going to need to stand up again for Game three and I'll make sure I do.
"I have played in a decider in Sydney when we just got beaten by them in the last two minutes. We had come back in a miraculous way.
"I think we were down 14 points at one stage, but then Tedesco scored and broke our hearts.'
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'People were worried': How Joe Schmidt saved Lions tour
Ireland legend Johnny Sexton has credited his former coach Joe Schmidt with turning around the Wallabies' fortunes - and saving a once-in-12-years Lions tour from irrelevance. The British and Irish Lions are set for the toughest test of their tour yet when they take on Australia's top Super side, the ACT Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday night. Having blown the Queensland Reds and Western Force out of the water before a tussle with the NSW Waratahs, the Brumbies - albeit undermanned - are expected to challenge the tourists. It's a stark change from 18 months ago, when the hapless Wallabies were at rock bottom after their earliest exit from a World Cup and the messy resignation of coach Eddie Jones. While the Wallabies are by no means favourites to win the three-Test series, New Zealand-born Schmidt has righted the ship and brought belief back to the side. They have suffered a huge blow with the loss of first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio following surgery but Schmidt has backed other playmakers Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson. Although they remain a lowly eighth in the world rankings, the Wallabies showed promise in last year's tour of the British Isles, beating England and Wales and falling narrowly to Ireland. Sexton was not surprised Schmidt managed to draw the best out of the Wallabies after guiding his Irish side to the top of the rankings in a stellar stint from 2013 to 2019. "He's a smart guy. Obviously, I've got a great relationship with him. But he's doing a great job with Australia, I think," said Lions assistant coach Sexton. "You know, 18 months ago, people were worried about this tour, and now it's all to play for. It's fantastic for the series." Lions head coach Andy Farrell also knows Schmidt's coaching style inside out, having served as his assistant in the Ireland set-up from 2016 to 2019. "They got on great off the pitch, you know, they were bouncing off each other; good cop, bad cop," Sexton said. "They dovetailed well. Joe was always the bad cop. Andy was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they were brilliant together. "They knew how to push the buttons of that team, in particular. You could tell that they were in it together. "And I'd say Andy learned a lot from Joe, but then at the same time, he's come in and he's changed a lot, evolved things. "And that's always what you want, isn't it? Because if you went and tried to imitate Joe, people would see through." With Wallabies great Stephen Larkham at the helm, a torrid Brumbies test awaits before the coaching trio's reunion. Near-freezing temperatures and dewy conditions are expected on Wednesday night, with the Brumbies likely to use their strong line speed to make it hard for the Lions on the ball, Sexton said. "They're a very good team, probably the best Australian franchise," he said. "They've put in a lot of good performances against us in the past, and we expect no different tomorrow." The Brumbies are the only Australian Super Rugby team to have beaten the Lions, overcoming a Sexton-less side 14-12 in 2013. Ireland legend Johnny Sexton has credited his former coach Joe Schmidt with turning around the Wallabies' fortunes - and saving a once-in-12-years Lions tour from irrelevance. The British and Irish Lions are set for the toughest test of their tour yet when they take on Australia's top Super side, the ACT Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday night. Having blown the Queensland Reds and Western Force out of the water before a tussle with the NSW Waratahs, the Brumbies - albeit undermanned - are expected to challenge the tourists. It's a stark change from 18 months ago, when the hapless Wallabies were at rock bottom after their earliest exit from a World Cup and the messy resignation of coach Eddie Jones. While the Wallabies are by no means favourites to win the three-Test series, New Zealand-born Schmidt has righted the ship and brought belief back to the side. They have suffered a huge blow with the loss of first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio following surgery but Schmidt has backed other playmakers Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson. Although they remain a lowly eighth in the world rankings, the Wallabies showed promise in last year's tour of the British Isles, beating England and Wales and falling narrowly to Ireland. Sexton was not surprised Schmidt managed to draw the best out of the Wallabies after guiding his Irish side to the top of the rankings in a stellar stint from 2013 to 2019. "He's a smart guy. Obviously, I've got a great relationship with him. But he's doing a great job with Australia, I think," said Lions assistant coach Sexton. "You know, 18 months ago, people were worried about this tour, and now it's all to play for. It's fantastic for the series." Lions head coach Andy Farrell also knows Schmidt's coaching style inside out, having served as his assistant in the Ireland set-up from 2016 to 2019. "They got on great off the pitch, you know, they were bouncing off each other; good cop, bad cop," Sexton said. "They dovetailed well. Joe was always the bad cop. Andy was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they were brilliant together. "They knew how to push the buttons of that team, in particular. You could tell that they were in it together. "And I'd say Andy learned a lot from Joe, but then at the same time, he's come in and he's changed a lot, evolved things. "And that's always what you want, isn't it? Because if you went and tried to imitate Joe, people would see through." With Wallabies great Stephen Larkham at the helm, a torrid Brumbies test awaits before the coaching trio's reunion. Near-freezing temperatures and dewy conditions are expected on Wednesday night, with the Brumbies likely to use their strong line speed to make it hard for the Lions on the ball, Sexton said. "They're a very good team, probably the best Australian franchise," he said. "They've put in a lot of good performances against us in the past, and we expect no different tomorrow." The Brumbies are the only Australian Super Rugby team to have beaten the Lions, overcoming a Sexton-less side 14-12 in 2013. Ireland legend Johnny Sexton has credited his former coach Joe Schmidt with turning around the Wallabies' fortunes - and saving a once-in-12-years Lions tour from irrelevance. The British and Irish Lions are set for the toughest test of their tour yet when they take on Australia's top Super side, the ACT Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday night. Having blown the Queensland Reds and Western Force out of the water before a tussle with the NSW Waratahs, the Brumbies - albeit undermanned - are expected to challenge the tourists. It's a stark change from 18 months ago, when the hapless Wallabies were at rock bottom after their earliest exit from a World Cup and the messy resignation of coach Eddie Jones. While the Wallabies are by no means favourites to win the three-Test series, New Zealand-born Schmidt has righted the ship and brought belief back to the side. They have suffered a huge blow with the loss of first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio following surgery but Schmidt has backed other playmakers Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson. Although they remain a lowly eighth in the world rankings, the Wallabies showed promise in last year's tour of the British Isles, beating England and Wales and falling narrowly to Ireland. Sexton was not surprised Schmidt managed to draw the best out of the Wallabies after guiding his Irish side to the top of the rankings in a stellar stint from 2013 to 2019. "He's a smart guy. Obviously, I've got a great relationship with him. But he's doing a great job with Australia, I think," said Lions assistant coach Sexton. "You know, 18 months ago, people were worried about this tour, and now it's all to play for. It's fantastic for the series." Lions head coach Andy Farrell also knows Schmidt's coaching style inside out, having served as his assistant in the Ireland set-up from 2016 to 2019. "They got on great off the pitch, you know, they were bouncing off each other; good cop, bad cop," Sexton said. "They dovetailed well. Joe was always the bad cop. Andy was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they were brilliant together. "They knew how to push the buttons of that team, in particular. You could tell that they were in it together. "And I'd say Andy learned a lot from Joe, but then at the same time, he's come in and he's changed a lot, evolved things. "And that's always what you want, isn't it? Because if you went and tried to imitate Joe, people would see through." With Wallabies great Stephen Larkham at the helm, a torrid Brumbies test awaits before the coaching trio's reunion. Near-freezing temperatures and dewy conditions are expected on Wednesday night, with the Brumbies likely to use their strong line speed to make it hard for the Lions on the ball, Sexton said. "They're a very good team, probably the best Australian franchise," he said. "They've put in a lot of good performances against us in the past, and we expect no different tomorrow." The Brumbies are the only Australian Super Rugby team to have beaten the Lions, overcoming a Sexton-less side 14-12 in 2013.

Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
How the AFL's 2025 draft pool will turbocharge the trade period
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