“If there was one moment I could have back, it would be that!” | Face to Face | Fox League

In a wide ranging interview with Yvonne Sampson, Cameron Munster discussed the highs and lows of his decorated career, including a particular sin bin he regrets!

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Monster extravagant dummy comes back to the left hand side stays alive look at it go something out of nothing as it always is from Cameron monster when you first arrived at the storm you’re the fullback what was it like that experience working with arguably one of the greatest number ones we’ve ever seen

And Billy Slater and having him watch your every move yeah this L just to rub shoulders him with that training it was it was something to behold you know just the way he went about his business um everyone obviously watches him in the games and think oh how does he throw

That pass or how does he do that left foot step but he’s always always Premed not premeditated but he knows he watches so much video on players and knows their every move and knows oh he’s going to do this I’ll do that you know so he’s

Always one step ahead and I think for me he just kind of just went to my strengths you know and when once he got injured and you know someone like getting injured season injur injury and he’s been out for almost 18 months he could have just kick the cans and um

Just sat there and just let the team do its thing you know but for me he was always coming in after games and showing me clips on what he thinks I should be doing here and and Jo me oh this is good keep this up um defensively doing these

Little things and I think he was probably the first fullback to be able to get in the line close to line and and create that extra number you know and a lot of teams are doing it now and um it’s obviously very effective idea and he’s obviously changed the game for

Fullbacks you know and um now he’s working with Reese Walsh which is scary for for everyone around the game there were a lot of similarities between you and Billy and especially when he first came down like he was a strong willed kid from up North bit rough around the

Edges did you have a connection with Billy even though do you feel like he he already knew who you were and what potential that you had oh I just think he Bill probably seen how much hard work I wanted to put in and I think at times

I showed glimpses of of passes and some of the things that I was able to create at training um and he kind of saw that and I think I think that’s why we probably got along so well 2016 you’re into your grand your first Grand Final massive NRL moment for you up against

The Sharks and a pretty handy fullback in Ben Barber what was that experience like how was that day and what do you wish was different apart from the result I just think and like nailed on the head when you’re playing big games and big finals you got to start well and we

Didn’t start well and we I think we’re down 10- nil at half time and we ended up losing what by four points you know so and we play we played a good second half like if we played like that in the first half we we could have won you know

Who would have known should have could have would have I remember them doing a little scrum play and Ben Barber scoring off the scrum of Paul Gallen well-run play and um yeah just looking at it just going I wish I did more video or um it was like obviously they seen something

That we didn’t see you know so for me I just think that was something that I like remember clever’s day is my first ever final Grand Final experience don’t want to feel like that again and um I I was lucky enough to win one in 2017 but

I think because we started well you know those big games come down to the the big moments right and even the last few moments of that game and everyone was watching it and if Chambers finds Kon on the inside or if that last pass goes through the hands and finds where it was

Supposed to go like it’s a very different St everyone was like they’re going to win like what where were you when those last few moments were going down I probably should should have been down the middle supporting um to be honest yeah where were you where was I I

Was probably at the background going go will go will hit cops but and saying that too like in a normal game nine times at a 10 wheel would hit cops you know but CU It’s a grand final and it’s so loud cops would have been screaming

For sure you know and um it’s cuz it’s obviously there was only what 10 people of Melbourne storm there and 50,000 it was all crella it was I remember I remember when I was there I was just going oh my God is there any storm in

Here no it wasn’t meant to be and then obviously next year I got my opportunity and we won so 2017 a watershed year for you right so you’re making the switch from fullback to 58 yep big transition in the context of your career now you’re part of this world class spine you’ve

Got Slater cam Smith cooperon Cameron monster that has to be the best hands down I wouldn’t say that but don’t you don’t think what would what would it feel like to be in the middle of all that oh I I felt like I’m I’m very lucky

To be in that spot and I think you could put anyone there and you win a comp um looking at those three I was my first year playing 58 with a big NRL team so I think if you pick an 18-y old rookie I think they win regardless you know hands

Down this the way they played so well who helped you become the 5’8 oh well me me cops and um Wanted to change the game a little bit um and obviously matd Matty Johns had an idea so we went down to his uh down to his house in

Cordoy beautiful home must be doing it tough um but we went over to the park and um had some drills that he wanted to do and um had some shapes that he wanted to obviously Implement into the game and I just remember I was so nervous in that

First couple of training sessions I run with Maddie obviously with Bill and them I didn’t want to pass the ball that bad and that and I remember throwing two or three balls to their feet and um I remember m going where did they get this

Bik from you know he can’t even pass the ball but um yeah look at obviously had to work on that a little bit I was more of a runner um but for us it was just Coop’s ball play on the ball up and um he had Bill obviously to the right that

Was his strength three on two on the right and I was a leftand carry so I was kind of playing a fullback role really when you looked at it um back to our left so he was kind of swinging and it worked well for us that year um a great

Sense of chemistry and timing to it all too it all just looked really slick we had to be um I had to work a lot better and a lot harder with those guys you know building combinations they always gabbing me and trying to do stuff after training and that just probably showed

How much we needed to jel and I was very confident that year no that no one could stop us to only dropped two games all year you must have felt Invincible yeah we did I felt good one one of them was a double header yeah it was like a big

Score line it was like 34 32 yeah it was massive at the end of the the day you’re wearing the Premiership ring you’re a Premiership winner what did that change for you yeah look I was just so excited to be able to say I’m a Premiership

Winner I think that year I played one game for Queensland um and then got picked in the Australian team but if it wasn’t for the the spine that I was playing with I don’t think I would have got picked you know did you take the

Ring back to Rocky no I kept it me safe just in case he got stolen don’t trust any don’t trust anyone you grew up with no no not at all back to the old you can’t even trust mom and dad in the moment that 2017 Grand Final that’s that

The last game you play with cooperon did you realize it at the time we had a meeting that year around June July around origin time and he come out and said obviously he was moving to Sydney for his partner Tara and we’re like oh yeah we’re not too sure if he’s going to

Play or what was he going to whose team he was going to go to and I’m I’m pretty sure we thought it was going to like a tigers or Bulldogs like a team to to to build or something like that and um yeah he went to the roosters and um yeah the

Rest of his history he uh played him in the Grand Final and he had the last laugh unfortunately that 2018 season was incredible that decider I mean of course it would work out in rugby league fate that Coopers front and center for the roosters they meet the Melbourne storm

At the rugby league’s biggest day up against all his old mates there’s a lot of water under the bridge between everyone and he’s there with a busted shoulder like it couldn’t have been set up any better how did you approach the day oh I think for me personally I think

There was so much speculation about him and and about his shoulder as he playing as he not um did you know had you text him had you spoken to him no we didn’t speak to him I think they they obviously had a game plan on trying to make us all

Put our egg on basket and pull energy in the Cs and it worked was he a distraction did you I felt like he was a distraction distraction for me cuz obviously I’m going up against him I’m trying to figure out who’s playing who’s playing that position and and saying

That we didn’t deserve to win like they were they were they were read hot on that night and they did everything they wanted to do and they started well and like I spoke about before I can see you’re a s loser and that’s what makes

You no what’s what makes you such a good competitor and it’s not a bad thing but the headlines read and you sorry to bring it up but bring it up monsters NRL Grand Final shocker cam monster saves his worst for last where was your head at through that game it wasn’t there the

Two sinins like what are you thinking yeah I know you’re not thinking did you just overcook it I think for me going on the first one um I think we threw the ball or someone knocked it on and Jake F picked it up and he was going he was

Going hard and I was I was not catching him but I was chasing um and then foxy jumped on top of him and then fell off him slipped off and I thought he’s not tackled so I’ve gone in again and um I’ve held it down too long and um yeah I

Got sent for 10 um which was probably a crucial part of the game where we didn’t start well and we’re already down I think six eight to maybe even 10 points and and then at half time got out there and they were all over us so winning obviously Joseph Manu carried the ball

It was the game was done and dusted and oh and now monster lashing out hang on hang on I don’t like it it’s on report you go the B if there was one moment I could have back it’d be that um I could cop the first in bin cuz I was

Trying to help the team second one’s that still eats me to this day um I like to get in there and obviously played well and hard but for that moment to last sh um I didn’t touch him but the movement the idea in my head just a split decision Split Decision brain fart

And never had it again um still kills me still eats me um to to have that moment in a big game like that um i’ I’d cop a high tackle or something like that you know something that’s not fair in the game but some a lot less um melice you know rep footy

Reveals character and it’s been said that at origin you’re building this King likee Legacy here’s monster making a big run 20 M out 10 m out floats the ball away for homes and he goes in homes is in for three but there’s something different about you when you’re playing for

Queensland it’s like how do you find yourself in the right moment at the right time exactly when the blues don’t want you to be there to be honest I think I just get lucky I think I don’t think so I think it’s deliberate I think

I get lucky to be honest I just I don’t know what it is um I don’t know I love back against the wall you know that mentality that Underdog tag and um I get lucky I I do get like who’s the best origin player you’ve ever seen oh I

Think JT’s there just watching game two 2017 he had a bung shoulder and kicked a winning goal for them to be able to go to the cider in Queensland and I was lucky enough to play that game with the big three and I just remember him how

Much a painy was in after the game and um just showed how much he loved Queens there was a time where we thought you may have been headed home for a bit of a change of scenery uh the Dolphins thought it was a done deal yeah it was a

Done yeah was it for me the the contract was was that good that I don’t think I’ll ever earn that into my lifetime again you know in 10 years or even in another lifetime you know so for me that was trying to set my family up um but I

Wanted to obviously see my time out with Craig and um and try and talk to him um I spoken to him about it and he wanted me to stay and and the last person I rang was mom she was like you you know you want to be a one Club player you

Told me that and now you got the opportunity to do that why are you huming and Haring I was like oh because of the money she is not everything um you got to be happy and you go home back to Queensland playing Foo here you’re going to be happy why don’t you just

Stay down in Melbourne and have your family there and if you want to come back home after 40 you can so I think that was something that really hit home was mom pushing me in that thing and like you knowon moms know best moms always know the best always with the

Sage advice You’ been with Bellamy now what for the the last decade this will be your last long 10 years career has gone quick but been with him the last 10 years Jesus Christ this is the last this is the last season with him oh this will

Do me he said that what the last four years do you think oh I’ll try my best to try and get him one more year you’ve had such an incredible journey it’s been so fun to watch I know you still got plenty to offer um thank you so much

Please never change oh I’ll try my best everyone I got to change sometimes