‘Heated aggression’: Munster in fiery Rooster’s sights
Melbourne Storm star Cameron Munster knows Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is “coming” for him in Friday’s preliminary final showdown, expecting some “heated aggression” with an NRL grand final spot on the line.
Munster has previously tangled with Waerea-Hargreaves, who could potentially be playing his final NRL game should the Roosters lose, with history between the firebrand prop and Storm’s own giant, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, a talking point leading into the clash.
Asofa-Solomona made himself absent from a full squad media opportunity on Tuesday, avoiding questions about the impending clash between the two hulking Kiwis, but Munster made it clear that Storm players knew what was coming.
“That’s Jared being Jared, you know, I’m not gonna sugar coat it. I know he’s coming this Friday, and that’s footy,” Munster said on Tuesday.
“It’s a physical game and contact sport, not touch footy. I know what I’m out there for, and I know exactly what he’ll bring, so I’m ready for the battle. I’m excited for it.
“We know what’s on the line, and I’m sure they know what’s on the line, so I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of heated aggression out there on Friday night and just a matter of who controls it the best.”
While the prospect of going one game better than last year’s preliminary final defeat is front of mind for Munster, he’s also been kept busy with hospital trips to see his newborn daughter, who arrived early after his wife, Bianca, had some issues.
Both mother and daughter are “all good”, but the time spent visiting Blake, as well as looking after his two young sons, has ensured Munster isn’t playing the game in his head too many times before game day.
“It’s a lot of parking at the moment and I hope I can get that back on tax,” Munster joked.
“They’re both good, so no problems there.
“My mum’s here, she’s here for a month. She’s helped me around the house, which is ideal.
“Once she (Bianca) comes home, I’ll be very hands-on. But at the moment, it’s pretty much just keeping the two boys at bay.”
Munster’s two boys also keep him agile, as does the extra “knee wrestling” the star playmaker has been doing to address the groin issue that sidelined him for 10 weeks during the season.
Like Penrith star Nathan Cleary getting teammate Mavrik Geyer to test his shoulder before the Panthers’ own prelim, Munster said the extra work made him more “comfortable” he could do everything he needed to in the biggest games of the season so far.
“I’ve been doing a little bit of knee wrestling, little bit of control stuff on the ground,” he said.
“Just to feel comfortable, be able to use my core and use my hips in certain positions that would obviously aggravate or hurt it, and there’s no problems there.
“If anything, tearing that ligament was probably the best thing for me going forward.
“It’s taken a lot of pressure off my whole body.”
