After a decisive victory against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night, the Melbourne Storm are poised for a timely major boost as the NRL Finals series approaches.
Star five-eighth Cameron Munster, who hasn’t played since Magic Round, is expected to make his much-anticipated return this week. Munster’s inclusion alongside Jahrome Hughes in the halves will likely push Tyran Wishart back to the interchange bench, following his impressive performance in Munster’s and Jonah Pezet’s (ACL injury) absence.
Melbourne Storm GM of Football Frank Ponissi mentioned on Wide World of Sports radio, “He’s a very strong chance of playing next Friday night against Parramatta – that’s what we’re gearing it to be. If he doesn’t play against Parramatta, we’ll expect him the week after against St George.”
Munster has been training well, according to reports. This week, former Storm star Cooper Cronk was seen training with him, as shared on Instagram.
Coach Craig Bellamy and skipper Harry Grant joked on Fox League about sending Munster to prove himself in the QLD Cup with the Brisbane Tigers. Bellamy quipped, “I think we’ve already ordered him a plane ticket to Queensland. If he behaves himself tonight, I’ll think about it, but if he’s a bit cheeky, he’s deadset going to Queensland.”
Munster’s potential return marks the first time in a while that the spine will include Munster, Hughes, fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, and hooker Harry Grant. If Munster doesn’t play against the Eels, he is expected to be a near-definite for the following match against Shane Flanagan’s team in Round 22.
Grant added, “He’s looking in awesome shape. He had a little holiday in Fiji last week and came back with a tan and a spring in his step. It’s a real luxury with the squad we’ve got and the depth of our team … when Mun comes back in it’ll be exciting for the team and a real headache for Bellyache.”
The Melbourne Storm will face the Parramatta Eels on Friday evening at CommBank Stadium at 20:00 AEST.
