Cameron Munster in fresh injury bombshell as Melbourne's NRL title hopes called into question

Cameron Munster's agent Braith Anasta has revealed the Melbourne Storm star will be lucky to get to 80 per cent fitness by the NRL finals as he continues to battle groin and hip issues. Munster was sidelined for two months earlier this season to rest his troublesome groin, and will need surgery in the off-season on both of his hips.

He made his return to the field three weeks ago and has admitted he isn't playing at 100 per cent fitness. But speaking on NRL 360 on Wednesday night, Munster's agent Anasta provided a concerning new assessment of the situation.

When asked how Munster is travelling, Anasta said: "He's not 100 per cent, but he's a lot better than what he was at the start (of the season). I think he'll probably be around 80 per cent heading into the finals, but you're not going to get him at 100 per cent. But that doesn't mean you're not going to get a five-star performance out of him."

Fans won't be shocked to hear Munster isn't at full fitness because he's admitted as much himself. But the '80 per cent' suggestion will be somewhat concerning as the Storm attempt to hold off the Panthers and finish on top of the NRL ladder.

Braith Anasta wants Cameron Munster to be given more ball

Melbourne's form over the last month has been questionable at best, and they suffered a shock loss to the Dragons on home soil two weeks ago. According to Anasta, the Storm need to get Munster involved more - even if he's not the game-breaking Munster we've become accustomed to - and he's key to their hopes of winning the premiership.

"The only way they're going to win the comp is if they get Munster the ball more," Anasta said. "We've seen it in Origin and at the highest level - he loves the big moments and thrives off that."

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Anasta pointed out how disjointed the Storm have looked, simply because they've had so few games this year with their first-choice spine of Ryan Papenhuyzen (fullback), Munster (five-eighth), Jahrome Hughes (halfback) and Harry Grant (hooker). "He just hasn't been getting enough ball in the last few weeks," Anasta said about Munster. "Jahrome has been the main man all year but you've got to work to each other's strengths, and it's all about getting that continuity back, which they're lost over the last few weeks."

Cameron Munster injury revelation sparks Storm title questions

But Anasta's revelation about Munster's fitness has led leading NRL journo Paul Crawley to question if the Storm can challenge the Panthers for the title without their strike weapon being fully fit. "We are entitled to question if the premiership race has just taken a massive turn in the Panthers’ favour on the back of a bombshell revelation this week from Cameron Munster’s agent," Crawley wrote on Thursday. "Because there is just no way in the world an '80 per cent' fit Munster with two dodgy hips is going to outplay a 100 per cent fit and firing Nathan Cleary."

Fans will get a taste of the NRL finals early on Thursday night when the Panthers host the Storm in a blockbuster to open Round 24. The Storm managed to beat the three-time defending premiers 8-0 in Round 1, but Cleary reckons his side are a vastly different team to that one.

"We've come a long way since then and for whatever reason we haven't started the year well the past couple of years," the halfback said on Wednesday. "There is a lot of footy between then and now, and we still want to be building and be better each week."