Qld captain Cameron Munster will arrive in Sydney on Tuesday after his father's death and play in State of Origin decider
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.
'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.'
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Alcaraz, Sabalenka headline Wimbledon quarter-finals, Aussies in doubles action
Rinky Hijikata has booked his place in the Wimbledon semi finals. Hijikata and Dutchman David Pel defeated Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 7-6 6-4 to progress to the final four in the first games of the day on the No.2 court. The 24-year-old is the first of two Australians in doubles quarter finals, with Olivia Gadecki set to compete in the women's doubles. Rinky Hijikata is in quarter-finals action at Wimbledon. Picture: Marleen Fouchier/Olivia Gadecki and Desirae Krawczyk embrace after one of their wins on the way to the Wimbledon quarter finals. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and women's number one Aryna Sabalenka headline the first day of quarter-finals at the All England Club on Tuesday. The the son of an Australian tennis great will also be looking to follow up his debut Wimbledon win. Hijikata and Pel took care of Brazilian pair Matos and Melo in straight sets, with Gadecki and her American partner Desirae Krawczyk taking on the 16th seeds Caroline Dolehide and former Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin immediately afterwards on the same court. Lleyton Hewitt's son, Cruz, plays his second round junior's singles match, trying to replicate what his dad did at the All England Club in 2002, with a Wimbledon win. Cruz Hewitt in action during his first round junior singles match. Picture:Carlos Alcaraz v Cameron Norrie Carlos Alcaraz has not had it all his own way at Wimbledon but he has stepped up a gear when it matters most. The two-time defending champion has dropped four sets during his run to the last eight, giving his fans palpitations before raising his level each time. The Spaniard produced his best tennis of the tournament so far against Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 16, rallying from a set down to set up a quarter-final against Britain's Cameron Norrie. Carlos Alcaraz during his fourth round win over Andrey Rublev. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images Alcaraz is aiming to join an elite group of men who have won the tournament in three straight years in the Open era — Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The charismatic Spaniard has taken on Federer's mantle as the darling of Centre Court. But he will have competition on Tuesday, when large sections of the crowd will be behind Britain's Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022. 'He's going to use the crowd to his side,' said Alcaraz, who has beaten Norrie four times in six meetings. 'I have to be really strong mentally and focused to play good tennis if I want to beat him.' Aryna Sabalenka v Laura Siegemund Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable as she chases a fourth Grand Slam title but a first Wimbledon crown. Aryna Sabalenka is hoping to her Wimbledon drought. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images The Belarusian top seed, who has never been past the semi-finals at the tournament, has yet to drop a set as she prepares to take on Germany's Laura Siegemund, ranked a lowly 104th in the world. Sabalenka, who lost in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, is the only remaining woman left out of the top six seeds. She said she relished the support of the crowd during her last-16 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens, during which she won her 14th consecutive tie-break. 'We all dream the same, holding the trophy, that winning moment,' said Sabalenka. 'It's always been my dream. I mean, I haven't achieved it yet. I had a lot of disappointments here.' Siegemund, 37, who has lost both of her previous matches against her opponent, is under no illusions about the task facing her in her second Grand Slam quarter-final. 'She's one of the greatest players that we have and one of the most aggressive also. The only good thing about that match is that I have absolutely nothing to lose,' she said. Siegemund is the fairytale story at Wimbledon this year. Picture:Taylor Fritz v Karen Khachanov Taylor Fritz came to Wimbledon with form on grass after winning titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne but he had a gruelling start to his campaign at the All England Club. The US fifth seed was taken to five sets in his opening two matches but he barely worked up a sweat in his last-16 match against Jordan Thompson, with the Australian forced to retire halfway through the second set. Taylor Fritz consoles Jordan Thompson after the Aussie retired from their fourth round match with injury. Picture:His quarter-final opponent Karen Khachanov, ranked 20th, has won both of their previous two meetings, though they have not met since 2020. 'We practise all the time, so we're pretty familiar with each other's games,' said Fritz. 'But I think I have improved a ton and have become a much, much better player since the last time we played.' Amanda Anisimova v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had to overcome the distraction of a potentially costly glitch in the electronic line-calling system in her fourth-round match against Sonay Kartal, which became a major talking point at the championships. The Russian, 34, is playing in her 65th Grand Slam — only Victoria Azarenka, in this year's women's draw, has more appearances (68). She has a tough task against 13th seed and Queen's finalist Amanda Anisimova, with the American beating her on all three occasions they have met. Read related topics: Wimbledon
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Wallabies playmaker Lolesio ruled out of Lions series after 'successful' surgery
Wallabies playmaker Noah Lolesio has been ruled out of the British and Irish Lions series after undergoing surgery. Lolesio was stretchered from the field after appearing to suffer whiplash in an ugly second-half collision in the Wallabies' 21-18 win over Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday. While the ACT Brumbies ace was initially cleared of a serious neck injury, he was readmitted to hospital on Tuesday for follow-up surgery. The Wallabies didn't reveal any further details of his injury, but said the 25-year-old would "spend a period of time away from the game" and was expected to make a full recovery. Lolesio's injury means he may have played his last Test for Australia, having signed to play in Japan. The Wallabies will name their squad for the three-Test Lions series on Friday, with the first match in Brisbane on July 19, with youthful duo Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson now expected to tussle to wear the No 10 jersey. Speaking ahead of the Lions clash with the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday night, Lions assistant coach Johnny Sexton was asked his thoughts on the Wallabies' fly-half candidates should Lolesio be ruled out. Lolesio had started 11 of the 13 Tests under Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. "I think Lynagh has been excellent all year. I think Donaldson did really well when he came on. I think they're both quality players," Sexton said. "But obviously Lolesio's their number one based on their last, whatever, 10 games. "He played the majority of the big games under Joe [Schmidt], so he'll know Joe's way. So he'll be a loss for them." The former Lions No 10 refused to bite when asked if he was surprised Schmidt opted not to select veteran playmaker James O'Connor. "I'm not going to question Joe Schmidt's selection, which is probably what you're hoping for, and create a headline," he said. "But no, outstanding three guys that are in there. "They're probably guys that know Joe's system, Joe's way of playing, and they're the three that Joe has gone with and the three we're preparing to play against." Despite hopes of a fairytale international farewell, O'Connor also missed out on a berth with the AUNZ Invitational squad to take on the Lions this Saturday. The visitors have not shied away from recalling a veteran fly-half of their own in Owen Farrell. In a bold move, Lions coach Andy Farrell drafted his 33-year-old son into the squad mid-way through the tour after Elliot Daly broke his arm against the Queensland Reds. Though Farrell hasn't played in 10 weeks since suffering a concussion with French side Racing 92, and has not been used by England in almost two years, Sexton backed him to make an immediate impact in his fourth Lions tour. "As you'd expect with someone with that experience, he's fitted in. He must have had the playbook on the plane on the way over because he came in and he's not missed a beat," Sexton said. "He's been on top of things in training and that's exactly why [Andy Farrell] picked someone with experience and knows about a Lions tour, because it might take someone else 10 days to fit in. Farrell was not named in the Lions squad to face the Brumbies on Wednesday but his father confirmed he was in contention for the AUNZ XV clash on Saturday. AAP
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Matildas exact revenge on Panama following shock defeat
A Charli Grant goal in the 91st minute has helped the Matildas avoid a second-straight defeat to lowly-ranked opponent Panama. In what was a back and forth affair at HBF Park in Perth, the Matildas struck late to secure a 3-2 win. The victory comes just days after they suffered a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of their 56th ranked rivals. It appeared they may be set to suffer the same fate following a lacklustre first half that saw them head into the break down 1-0. Ericka Arauz capitalised on some sloppy defensive work with Jessika Nash turning the ball over after an errant pass. Arauz wasted no time as she sent a shot from well outside the box into the back of the net in the 34th minute. The Matildas however emerged a different outfit in the second half with Hayley Raso continually tearing Panama defenders to shreds. Raso was at her damaging best and played a major role in the Matildas' opening two goals. A pinpoint cross from Raso in the 54th minute found a wide open Michelle Heyman who calmly slotted the ball into the net from close range to equalise. Eleven minutes later they did it again with a near identical play. This time Raso's cross found Heyman in the middle of the box with the veteran sending a header past the outstretched hand of the keeper. Despite appearing on track for victory, Panama refused to lay down with Lineth Cedeno pouncing and levelling things up at 2-2 after a brilliant passage of play in the 83rd minute. From their the Matildas went all out attack mode and it was Grant who emerged at the back post following a cross from Courtney Nevin. The ball carried all the way over a crowded box with Grant ushering the ball into the net and handing the Matildas the 3-2 advantage which they never squandered. 'Nev put an excellent ball in and I was just glad I could get on the end of it and get the win for us,' Grant said after the match. 'Scoring a goal for your country, you can't top that.' The victory means the two-game series between the two nations ends at one-win each with the Matildas now turning their attention to their AFF Women's Championship clash against Myanmar on August 7.
