Queensland captain Cameron Munster arrives in Sydney ahead of State of Origin decider

7NEWS

11 hours ago

Queensland captain Cameron Munster has arrived in Sydney ahead of the State of Origin decider on Wednesday night.
Munster was granted time away from the Maroons after the sudden death of his father Steven over the weekend.
But he has vowed to lead the Maroons side for what is shaping as one of the biggest games of his glittering career.
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To give him as much time as possible with his family, the Maroons booked Munster on a separate flight that would get him to Sydney in time for Tuesday afternoon's captain's run at Accor Stadium.
Channel 7 cameras were there when Munster and his mother landed in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon.
Queensland coach Billy Slater and the entire team have wrapped their arms around the grief-stricken leader.
'I can't wait to give him a hug,' Slater said ahead of Munster's reunion with the team.
'Naturally, he's been pretty upset over the last couple of days, but I think the last couple of days he's been where he's needed to be, and that's with his mum and his sister.'
Slater knew there was nothing he could say to make everything better when he sat with Munster in his room at Queensland camp on Sunday, the day the new Maroons captain learned of his father's death.
Munster vowed then and there to Slater that, after spending some time with his family, he would lead Queensland in Wednesday's Origin decider.
'He didn't have a lot of answers for a lot of other things, but he gave that one to me pretty straight,' Slater said.
'It's a huge game and he wants to be a part of that.'
Slater understood the best thing he could do for Munster sitting in his room on Sunday was to be there as a mate, and give him all the time he needed with family.
The coach knew that because he lost his own father Ronnie earlier this year.
'There's no real words that fix any of this,' Slater said.
'Unfortunately there's not a switch (to flick).
'I haven't dealt with this as a coach, but I've dealt with it as a person. I lost my father in January. I know what it's like and Cam's an inspiration for many people.
'He's a hero to many people in Queensland. I can only imagine his dad would've been his first inspiration and his first hero. He'd be hurting right now.'