‘Certain about': Grieving Munster's vow
Munster left Maroons camp on Sunday to be with his family following the death of his father, Steven, and Slater delivered a powerful show of support with the team standing behind him at training.
The superstar Queensland captain was set to join his teammates in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, with Slater unsure how much training Munster would do before what looms as a highly emotional performance on Wednesday night.
'Naturally, he'd be pretty upset over the past few days, but over the past couple of days, he's been where he's needed to be with his mum and his sister,' Slater said in Sydney.
'He spent some time with them and he's on his way back into camp now. Queensland Maroons captain Cameron Munster is mourning the death of his father Steven. Picture Instagram Credit: Supplied
'Unfortunately, there's not a switch for this (returning to footy), so it's not that easy.'
Munster has prided himself on being the larrikin off the field but a man teammates can trust to deliver in the big moments, and Slater is predicting more of the same as the champion five-eighth deals with the family tragedy.
No one could have begrudged him if he had decided to make himself unavailable for the decider, but his coach revealed that withdrawing was never an option in Munster's mind.
'I think we see that quite regularly how courageous he is,' said Slater, who played with Munster at the Storm and for Queensland and named him skipper for game two.
'There was a fair bit of uncertainty with 'Mun' on Sunday morning when I was sitting in his room, but the one thing he was certain about was that he was playing. That's one thing 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.
'Once he said he was playing on Wednesday night, that was it for me.' Billy Slater is ready for Wednesday night. Liam Kidston Credit: News Corp Australia
The past few days don't show up in any coaching manuals, but Slater went through it earlier this year.
'I haven't dealt with this as a coach, but I have dealt with it as a person when I lost my father in January, so I know what it's like,' he said.
'Cam is an inspiration for many people, he's a hero to many people in Queensland, and I can only imagine that his dad would have been his first inspiration and hero.
'He'd be hurting right now, and that's why he needs us and his family. The one thing about Cam is that he's never let anyone down in the past, and I don't expect that in the future.'
The Maroons will lift for their grieving skipper at Accor Stadium, with the team looking to win the series after losing game one at home.
They shocked the world to win in Perth and they now have the chance to make it back-to-back wins on the road with a rookie centre, a returning prop and a new fullback.
'We'd never won in Perth up until three weeks ago and no Queensland team has been on the road after losing the first game and wrapped up the series, and that's the opportunity,' Slater said.
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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." That's why Slater knows Wednesday night is the time for the Maroons to show up for Munster, just as he showed up for his teammates in guiding them to victory against the odds in Origin II. "Their skipper is going to need them on Wednesday night," Slater said. "I'm sure it'll give them a huge boost, to see their mate going through something that you only go through once in your life, losing your father. I'm sure it's going to have a huge impact on them." Slater has already seen his senior players leading the squad with aplomb in Munster's absence. It's been a blessing for the group to have Josh Papalii, the Canberra prop called out of representative retirement to reinvigorate the forward pack. "It's a feel, with Papa," Slater said of the veteran's impact on the squad. "The best way I could describe it is it's probably a calmness. Big Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) has been like a little puppy dog, following him around all week." If there's anyone who understands what Cameron Munster has gone through in the lead-up to the State of Origin decider, it's Queensland coach Billy Slater. 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 Steven's sudden 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 - one of the biggest games of his career. "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." To give him as much time as possible with his family, the Maroons booked Munster on a separate flight that got him to Sydney in time for the captain's run on Tuesday afternoon. "I can't wait to give him a hug," Slater said ahead of Munster's reunion with the team. Munster ran out with the team at Accor Stadium around 4pm, greeting the small group of onlookers invited to the team's final training session before the hotly-anticipated decider. He appeared his usual energetic and focused self following a distressing few days. "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 said earlier. Slater understood the best thing he could do for Munster sitting in his room on Sunday was to be there as a mate, then give him all the time he needed with his 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. "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." That's why Slater knows Wednesday night is the time for the Maroons to show up for Munster, just as he showed up for his teammates in guiding them to victory against the odds in Origin II. "Their skipper is going to need them on Wednesday night," Slater said. "I'm sure it'll give them a huge boost, to see their mate going through something that you only go through once in your life, losing your father. I'm sure it's going to have a huge impact on them." Slater has already seen his senior players leading the squad with aplomb in Munster's absence. It's been a blessing for the group to have Josh Papalii, the Canberra prop called out of representative retirement to reinvigorate the forward pack. "It's a feel, with Papa," Slater said of the veteran's impact on the squad. "The best way I could describe it is it's probably a calmness. Big Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) has been like a little puppy dog, following him around all week."
