‘Fraud': Blues scammed by unrecognisable superstar in series-tying loss, Cameron Munster, Billy Slater
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
COMMENT
Let history show there was only one fraud responsible for ensuring an Origin decider in 2025 - and it wasn't Ashley Klein.
Cameron Munster's infectious performance in game two will not only be remembered as one of the great playmaker's knocks, but also the biggest scam in Origin history.
Why?
Not because the Maroons barely eked home on sloppy Blues goalkicking, nor because Klein blew the whistle so often he was mistaken for a car alarm.
Nope, it's because Munster did the Blues dirty with a shock new routine - the ability to dominate in Priest Mode.
In horrific news for NSW, the captain's role has unlocked a new aspect of Munster that's as level-headed as it is two-faced.
Announced as the state's new leader last week, Munster as a Maroons father figure was always bound to conflict with the bottle blonde tomcat we've come to know in so many larrikin grabs and grainy viral videos.
Cameron Munster led the Maroons to victory with a dominant display.
Cameron Munster led out a team of leaders for the Queensland. (Photo by)
But when he presented with a chill steeliness and clean shaven face at his unveiling, we were witnessing the beginning of the transition in real time.
Then when he fronted multiple media calls throughout the week in full dad mode and team uniform - and not just to crack zingers or issue a public apology - he was truly unrecognisable.
But once Munster lead by example on the paddock in a man of the match performance, not only had he fully transformed in to one of those testimonials on a Tony Robbins self help manual, he'd also confirmed his appointment a rousing success.
Sure, it's too early to elevate the new skipper to the bar alongside esteemed types like Baron Cameron Smith, especially after he confirmed his latent larrikinism by slipping a cheeky F-bomb in the post-match interview like a verbal wink in a hostage video.
However, the 30 year old proved Wednesday night that the weight of responsibility won't hamper the spring in his step.
Billy Slater nailed the captaincy call on Cameron Munster. (Photo by)
Cameron Munster was all heart on Wednesday night. (Photo by COLIN MURTY / AFP)
Just because he was Danny Tanner all week and held a stridently earnest pre-match interview with Johnathan Thurston on the team bus didn't mean he'd also play his footy like a sitcom dad.
And just because he openly professed his love for the coach in the post-match press conference without being six beers deep doesn't mean he'll lose his playful edge either.
Credit where it's due, Billy Slater has made his fair share of boofheaded decisions this series but he's absolutely nailed this one to the wall.
With the series on the line, the coach was under stifling pressure to pull the right rein on Daly Cherry-Evans' replacement at skipper, lest be underlined as the first Queensland coach sunk by Aaron Woods.
X
SUBSCRIBER ONLY
But when he ignored a raft of club captains to anoint Munster as captain, many believed he'd confused the state role with the social club.
For all his mercurial brilliance, the Storm talisman has been widely celebrated as the Dally Messenger of good times, a free spirit whose rhinocerene appetite for a beer is matched only by his love of a poor decision.
Who could forget when he was sin binned in the 2018 grand final for kicking? Or when he was banned for 12 months by the QRL in 2016 for breaking curfew at an Emerging Origin camp?
X
SUBSCRIBER ONLY
Conversely, what about playing a leading hand in the 2020 series victory after fronting the team photo looking like he'd just served a 12 week sentence in the Milton brewery?
Munster has always saddled the line between professional and playboy, a position that reached a crossroads in 2021 when he was sprung on film mucking up on the Gold Coast with Brandon Smith.
When it comes to selecting a new skipper, there's no scarier trio of terms on a CV than 'unidentified white powder', 'Gold Coast' and 'The Cheese' - but Slater still bravely gambled on his five-eighth and its come up trumps.
Sure, we've all seen similar glimpses of Reverend Munster in recent times as he abandoned the bottle and the extra pounds, albeit the latter only because his wife jibed him about his muffin top.
But his performance to save the series proves this captaincy caper could catapult his influence in Origin further towards Wally-esque areas.
And all they had to do was shave him down and let him flip the coin.
- Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He's never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Originally published as 'Fraud': Blues scammed by unrecognisable superstar in series-tying loss
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
West Australia left seeing red in Perth State of Origin blunder, rugby league, AFL, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Oh WA media, give it a rest will you? Like it or not, rugby league is here to stay. The state's paper The West Australian did its best this week to try to make citizens forget one of the country's biggest sporting spectacles was happening in the heart of their city, State of Origin. That didn't exactly work out how they'd hoped. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The paper virtually refused to promote the game at all in the lead-up, with only a small story at the back-end of the sport section on Monday, and not a single mention of it at all one day out. The event was also missing from Channel 7's news bulletin. The 'State of Origin's back' header finally appeared on the front page on Wednesday, which at first glance was a nod to the game. But on closer look it appeared to poke fun at the event, promoting WA's Fremantle Dockers against Victoria's Essendon Bombers clash on Thursday night instead. Not to mention the strategic placement of their only game day story beside the ads for escort services. But not even The West Australian's blatant disregard and mockery of rugby league was enough to deter its state from churning out in numbers for Wednesday night's blockbuster. Of the 57,000 crowd in the downpour of rain at Optus stadium — which was almost a 62,000 sellout — around 47,000 were Perth locals. Ironically the next night, for The West's 'state of origin' battle between Fremantle and Essendon, the AFL could only manage 37,570 fans at the same venue. The best the paper could do? A salty response the next morning: 'One bunch of East Coasters beat another at rugby in Perth last night.' That's got to feel like a bit of egg on your face. But it seems not much will change as the state media continues to virtually deny the code exists despite growing admiration for it among fans and the announcement of new NRL franchise the Perth Bears coming in 2027. The angst is possibly the ugly ramification of a rift between Seven West media boss Kerry Stokes and the NRL's Peter V'landys, as well as the media organisation's bid to reduce any threats to stay atop the code war in an AFL dominated region. V'landys recently appointed former West editor Anthony De Ceglie as the inaugural Bears chief executive to overlook the new franchise's success in the state. That may not be as difficult a job as the newspaper wants the country to believe, with Wednesday's game bringing in almost 200,000 Perth TV viewers atop the crowd, proving broadcast interest is all on the rise. The paper's editor Chris Dore was adamant when he told The Sydney Morning Herald the appetite for rugby league was non-existent in WA. 'No one outside of rugby league writers in Sydney cares. The point is rugby league is simply not a mainstream sport in this town,' Dore said. 'Just the facts. Good on them for having a crack here. We have nothing against the game despite the carry-on from [Peter] V'landys' acolytes in the Sydney media about our coverage. 'It's just not remotely main game and never will be.' But the numbers say otherwise Chris. Don't fight it, this is happening It's time to accept WA craves rugby league. Originally published as West Australia left seeing red in State of Origin blunder
Mercury
3 hours ago
- Mercury
Sarah Jessica Parker reveals ‘unpleasant' part of playing Carrie on Sex and the City: ‘Sobbing'
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sarah Jessica Parker 'wasn't prepared for public commentary' about her physical appearance when Sex and the City debuted in 1998. 'That was really unpleasant at times when people would have opinions — not about the work,' the actress, 60, told podcaster Alex Cooper on Wednesday's episode of Call Her Daddy. While Parker would 'sometimes' get frustrated with viewers' 'misunderstanding' of her character, Carrie Bradshaw, she said it was 'the personal stuff' that really got to her, reports Page Six. 'At that time, I thought I was a fairly confident person,' she shared, explaining that 'it really comes into question and is tested when you're filleted, in a way, when you're opened up.' Despite the pain it caused, Parker said, 'I know you know this: We're better for those kinds of experiences, but not all of us are good at it right away.' Parker appeared as a guest on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Picture: Supplied When Cooper, 30, argued, 'It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt,' Parker agreed, adding, 'Up to that point, there was no chatter about me. … There was just my work.' When asked point-blank about some of the 'harder comments' she had to hear, the Hocus Pocus star replied, 'I think just discussions of my physical person. Like, stuff that I couldn't change and wouldn't change and had never considered changing — even still after hearing something that was like, 'What? Somebody would say that?'' To Parker, the 'chatter' about her face and body 'didn't feel like it was actually a conversation.' 'I didn't feel like I could sit in a room and someone would say to me, 'You're really unattractive,'' she said. 'And then I could say, 'Wow. First of all, that's hard to hear, but second of all, why do you seem angry about it? Why do you feel it's necessary to say it, to comment?'' She played Carrie Bradshaw on the original series – and has reprised the role in And Just Like That. The mother of three, who has been married to actor Matthew Broderick since 1997, recalled one specific time when 'a magazine said something really mean' about how she looks. 'It was like a kick in the rubber parts,' she admitted. 'I was just like, 'Why is this a problem? Why is this deserving of your time and why do you seem to delight in saying it?'' Parker confessed that the remark, which she did not repeat, left her 'sobbing because it felt so purposeful.' She believed that was 'the only time [she] really cried about' negative comments about her physical appearance. The Emmy Award winner, who made sure to note that social media has changed the landscape of how the public shares its opinion, wondered whether her critics would 'say it to [her] face.' This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission. Originally published as Sarah Jessica Parker reveals 'unpleasant' part of playing Carrie on Sex and the City: 'Sobbing'
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Their season is in the balance. Inequities of NRL draw could tip Panthers over the edge
As well as the travel, there are also the short turnarounds to factor in. As Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after his team's recent loss to St George Illawarra, when he begrudgingly rested Kalyn Ponga so that the Queensland Origin star wasn't playing three games in eight days: 'In this battle, we lost to the scheduling and the draw. Whoever does the draws either hasn't lived it or doesn't care, so I don't know which one it is.' Some may have felt O'Brien's comments were a bit rich, given that a week earlier, the Knights had enjoyed the rub of the green, beating a Penrith side minus their five-man Origin contingent. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary copped that loss on the chin and was disappointed that his depleted team had been unable to give a better account of themselves. It's not in Cleary's unflappable nature to complain publicly or to create controversy but, after Penrith's 18-14 win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago, he made an exception. Cleary's concern was not the game the Panthers had just played, but the double whammy looming on the horizon, after his team's round 15 bye. First Penrith face the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday, barely 72 hours after their Origin stars – Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o, Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin – were on duty with NSW in Perth. It's basically a day in transit from Western Australia to New Zealand, once time zones, connecting flights and layovers at airports are factored in. Not long enough, the coach said, to risk taking his NSW reps across the ditch. 'The Origin players won't be playing, because they can't,' he said. 'That's another story. I don't think it's fair. We should be able to make that decision. And just through flights, we can't get them there.' Front-rower Lindsay Smith, who was a stand-by player for NSW in Perth, is nonetheless expected to rack up some frequent flyer points and suit up for the Panthers on Saturday. Cleary found an unexpected ally in Phil Gould, formerly his mentor at Penrith before a well-documented falling-out. 'What about the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?' Gould said on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast. 'They are playing on Wednesday night in Perth, all these Origin players … how would they expect those players to back up? It's terrible. If I was the Panthers club, I would be blowing up deluxe.' Gould may have been thinking two moves ahead, given the Panthers' next assignment after Auckland is the Canterbury club he oversees, on Thursday next week. Penrith's Origin quintet should be nicely freshened up for their clash with the table-topping Bulldogs, although Cleary was again disappointed with the scheduling, saying the rest of his players faced a five-day turnaround, which included the trip home from New Zealand. In recent seasons, Cleary has happily rested his Origin players during this phase of the season. In 2022, he gave seven state representatives the weekend off and their back-ups were too good for cellar-dwellers the Wests Tigers. A year later, Penrith beat the Knights with their five NSW players watching from the stand. This season, he doesn't have the same luxury as the reigning four-time champions face a dogfight to make the finals. And perhaps that is the crux of the issue. Loading We all realise the draw has flaws in it. NRL officials understand that, even though they are loath to publicly admit it. Instead, they try their best to juggle myriad complex issues and requests while keeping any inequities to a minimum. Impartial observers might form the view that it's all swings and roundabouts and that it usually evens itself out in the long run. That's all well and good until you're in Cleary's shoes, preparing for two tough games, five days apart in different countries, with your whole season potentially hanging on the outcome. Dynasties don't last forever. In Penrith's case, they can only hope the next two games don't prove to be the draw that broke the camel's back.
