Pivot’s desire to be captain
CAMERON Munster says his days of alcohol- fuelled partying are over as the Maroons ace sets his sights on succeeding Greg Inglis as Queensland captain.
As he prepares for his third Origin match in Game Two on Sunday night at ANZ Stadium, Munster has outlined his ambition to take on a leadership role as the Maroons look to a new generation of interstate stars.
Just six months ago, Munster confronted the first crisis of his NRL career when he was put on notice by Australia coach Mal Meninga over his boozy behaviour during the Kangaroos’ World Cup campaign.
During that tournament, Munster had a minor altercation with Ben Hunt, his now Queensland halves partner, at a Darwin pub – a seminal moment that convinced the Maroons pivot he had to grow up.
Munster recently said he carried on like a “d--- head” and part of his reformation involved a two- month alcohol ban.
Now, at a time when Queensland are seeking fresh leaders to replace Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston and Darius Boyd, Munster is getting serious about leadership.
While Inglis is locked in as Queensland’s captain for at least the next 18 months, the 23- year- old Munster believes his evolution as an Origin player involves the responsibility of captaincy.
“To be honest, I’d love the chance to captain Queensland,” said Munster, who will get his first taste of Origin on Sydney soil on Sunday after his dream debut at Suncorp last year and his recent outing in Melbourne.
“It’s every kid’s dream captain their state.
“If ‘ Kevvie’ ( Queensland coach Kevin Walters) or whoever the coach is at the time decides I am the right option to captain the team and think that I can direct the team in the right direction, I would be more than happy to take the captaincy.
“Only 13 players have captained the Maroons so it would be nice to have the ‘ C’ next to my name and lead a Queensland team out in front of a big crowd in Sydney or Brisbane or Melbourne.
“Everyone knows hard thing to do.
“At the moment, I’m happy to just be a part of the Maroons, but if in the next four or five years they want to me to step up as a leader, I’d do the best I can.” it is to a