Cam a perfect No.6 fit

QUEENSLAND greats Cameron Smith and Billy Slater say Cameron Munster has a mortgage on the Maroons’ most famous jersey after his stunning Origin debut.

Slater presented Munster with his No.6 jersey ahead of the series decider, reminding him of the great players who had come before him but telling him to put his own stamp on the position.

Munster did just that, with his mature performance prompting Maroons and Melbourne teammates Smith and Slater to say the 22-year-old can make the five-eighth position his own for years to come.

“It’s a very famous jumper,” Slater said of the Queensland No.6.

“I actually presented him his jersey and I said: ‘A lot of good players have played in this jersey – Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer, Kevin Walters, Johnathan Thurston. But this is your jumper and this is your time’.

“I knew that he had the confidence in himself to go out and play well and he did that.”

Slater worked extensively with Munster when the Rockhampton product made his NRL debut at fullback. And he found it difficult to pick Munster’s best position.

“To be honest, I just think he’s a great rugby league player,” Slater said.

“I worked with Cameron, obviously I was injured when he got his start and I was out for the whole year and he basically played my position.

“It’s quite a vulnerable position back there and an important position, fullback, and we worked on things after games, but they were minute things.

“His positional play was perfect, his game was that good that we only worked on such small things and that’s quite rare for a young guy coming in playing a key position.

“And then you throw the No.6 on his back for Melbourne and he’s like a duck to water, he’s just a natural.

“So that’s why I had complete confidence in him doing the job (for Queensland) and my only advice to him was to run the footy. He did that and he made himself dangerous ... it was an exceptional debut.”

Smith backed Slater’s view, saying he had encouraged coach Kevin Walters to pick Munster at five-eighth over the more experienced Michael Morgan for the decider.

“I knew that he had that in him,” Smith said of Munster’s performance.

“I was very confident in him and that’s why when Kev came to me and asked my thoughts on where he should play, I said, give him the No. 6 and just tell him to go out and do what he does every week for the Storm.

“If he stays healthy and continues those type of performances, he’ll keep that jersey for a long time.”

While confident in his ability, Munster admitted he was nervous at being thrust into the halves for the decider.

“I just backed myself and it paid off,” he said.