Origin's series-defining moment offers an antidote to rugby league's performative masculinity
Do it in public. Do it with confidence. Do it knowing it might inspire someone else in need of an ally.
Open yourself to holding your mate, like Billy Slater. Open yourself to being held, like Cameron Munster.
There was a lot to take away from this year's State of Origin: Tom Dearden's unfussy excellence, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow's adaptability, Nathan Cleary's Kangaroos jersey. But it took until after the final siren of the third of the three full-blooded contests for the series-defining moment to occur.
After composing himself to deliver his immediate postmatch thoughts to Channel Nine, Munster, Queensland's captain, turned and collapsed into the arms of Slater, Queensland's coach. The younger man sobbed uncontrollably. Great shudders of his weary body, unburdening himself of grief. The older man held his friend close, tears streaming down his own face. The loss of both men's fathers, six weeks of intense Origin stress, and the heightened pressure of recent days needed discharging.
The television camera that had been used to elicit Munster's comments captured the embrace. Broadcasting to millions around the world it revealed the two men circled by photographers, who in turn were ringed by 80,000 spectators. Yet this unarguably public display of affection remained a private act.
In a world of scripted reality authenticity is powerful. Cameras were present, but this was not staged to be clipped for socials. It was raw human heartache, the kind that cannot be fabricated by a Rockhampton larrikin and an Innisfail roustabout.
The idiom goes that sport is the most important of the unimportant things in life. It highlights both the significance of sport in people's lives, but also how that significance has a ceiling. It mattered that Munster had extended his captaincy record to two wins from two matches. And it mattered that Slater was vindicated in his controversial decision to drop Daly Cherry-Evans after a series-opening loss. It mattered more in the grand scheme of things that two friends could comfort one another in their shared sorrow.
Munster is still in the primal stage of grieving the death of his father. Within minutes of receiving the news on Sunday, Slater urged his captain to leave the team's training camp and be with his family. He was on a flight north in a matter of minutes. Most of us, at some point in our lives have endured, or will endure, similar pain. May we all have friends like Slater nearby when it happens.
The pair were also the key protagonists before and during Origin 2. Queensland had lost three matches in a row. Playing stocks looked weak. Slater's coaching was in the spotlight. It was close to the most serious low in an almost unfailingly glittering career, and the first professional test without his father, Ron, to call on for support. Ronnie Slater, a north Queensland rugby league icon in his own right, died in January.
Sign up to Australia Sport
Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk
after newsletter promotion
Slater needed to pull a rabbit out of a hat. We know now that his decision to replace Cherry-Evans with Dearden and appoint Munster as captain was a masterstroke, but at the time these were decisions not applauded universally. He needed someone to have his back.
That man was Munster. He was steadfast in his defence of his coach, and demonstrated as much with a player of the match performance in Perth. Afterwards he said: 'I don't ever tell him, but I'm probably telling him now. I love him.'
Sport is often a proxy for authentic human connection. Especially for men; bloody big bloody tough bloody blokes. It allows us to pat each other's bums in public then sing secret songs in private. It means performative masculinity and converting concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy into clicks. And we can do all of this without having to process our feelings or confront our fears.
Two of the hardest, most resilient figures in the toughest competition in the fiercest sport in the world have shown there's another way. So hug your friends. Let them cry on your shoulder. Everything's going to be OK.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Why debutant fly-half Tom Lynagh will be targeted, how Joseph Suaalii can be nullified… and the one stat the Lions must keep under control against Australia, writes DAN BIGGAR
The British and Irish Lions face Australia in Brisbane on Saturday in the opening match of a three-Test series. The tourists are unbeaten on Australian soil this summer following victories over Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, Brumbies and an Invitational AU & NZ side. Andy Farrell's side will be looking to emulate the series win on the last Lions visit Down Under in 2013. Meanwhile, for the hosts, Tom Lynagh is the headline selection as he makes his first international start at fly-half, following in the footsteps of his father Michael, who faced the Lions in 1989. Here, former Wales captain Dan Biggar assesses where the game will be won and lost. HALF-BACKS Tom Lynagh is making his debut at No 10 for the Wallabies and it's a big ask to throw him in against the Lions. He'll be playing behind an underpowered pack and that could be dangerous. Lynagh will need his scrum-halves — Jake Gordon and Tate McDermott — to guide him through the game. In the Lions' warm-up matches, opponents have fallen into the trap of overplaying and allowing their line-speed to eat them up. That ends up with errors and turnovers. Ellis Genge and Tom Curry will be putting the kind of pressure on Lynagh that he hasn't felt before. He won't have much time. In that situation, your first instinct is to play a bit deeper but that's what the Lions want. He has to be brave. The Wallabies will kick a lot and that responsibility will fall on Gordon and McDermott. NULLIFY SUAALII Joseph Suaalii is a beast. He can beat you for speed, step you or offload. He's like Finn Russell in the way he wants the defence to come on to him because then he can use his skills. He's a superstar but the Lions will be looking at stopping the supply to him as much as stopping him. Give Suaalii 20 touches in the opposition half and he'll make you pay two or three times. You want to bring that down to 10 touches. Joe Schmidt will be smart in how he uses the outside centre as an 'in' to the game because nobody on the field comes close to his aerial ability. The Wallabies will need to use their kicking game to his advantage. BREAKDOWN The Wallabies have lost some size and power due to injuries so they need to turn the breakdown into a scrap. They have good jacklers in guys such as Fraser McReight, so they will attack the Lions on the floor. The Brumbies and Waratahs provided a good template by flying off the line and being aggressive. It was a blueprint of how to make the breakdown difficult. A lot of the Lions' problems at the breakdown have come from little half breaks. The Wallabies must take chances and have to contest every breakdown, because that's their best chance of winning. They have to make it difficult for Jamison Gibson-Park at the ruck because he has so many weapons outside him. HANDLING ERRORS Where the Lions have fallen short so far is with their handling errors and breakdown penalties. Handling errors give Australia an 'in'. The Wallabies want the game to be broken up, so they want transitions. Tom Wright and Max Jorgensen come alive in those situations. If the Lions keep the handling errors and penalties below 10, I don't see them having too many problems. They've been forcing passes a bit and it's easy to get caught up in that when you're dominating. They've been playing close to the gain-line, which is high risk, so they can afford to step off a little bit and keep it tight. REPLACEMENTS With Garry Ringrose ruled out, Andy Farrell has gone for the Scottish centre partnership of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones. Those two have played so much with Russell. Jones is a real link centre and Russell knows what lines he will run. Bundee Aki will bring energy in the second half. If you look at the two benches, the Lions could easily rotate their replacements and starters without losing too much. Ollie Chessum and Ben Earl could easily be in the XV. You can't say the same about the Wallabies.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
How last Aussie standing at The Open Championship defied a 4am start to produce the form of his life at Royal Portrush
Australia's dwindling hopes of British Open success at Royal Portrush lie solely in the hands of a sleep-deprived Marc Leishman after a wretched day for the gold 'n green challenge on the Dunluce links. The experienced 'Big Leish' was the only Aussie out of a starting field of nine to make the cut on Friday, with former champion Cam Smith and 25-time Open veteran Adam Scott suffering particularly disheartening days. Leishman was let off the leash after being frustrated by the slow pace of play on the opening day - and the result was by far the best round from any of the battalion as he shot a three-under 68 to make the weekend on one under, the only Aussie all week to be in the red. With the cut having looked set to be at two over, Jason Day, runner-up two years ago, had dug deep to conjure a birdie on the penultimate hole, with a booming drive and 90ft chip stone-dead, to get to what he hoped would be the required mark. But, alas, the Queensland ace was left missing the boat on two over by just a shot as late afternoon conditions improved. Poor old Day must have still been harbouring hope at nearly 9:30 at night when the cut line was finally established at one over. Leishman, the lone survivor, has his work cut out, nine shots behind inspired leader Scottie Scheffler, but at least he enjoyed a much more fulfilling day - one that started at 4am before he was the first to tee off at 6:35am - than the one he endured on Thursday. Marc Leishman is through to the weekend at @TheOpen 🇦🇺 In testing conditions, the #Tokyo2020 Olympian is the sole Aussie to make the cut, currently Tied-26th on -1. With two rounds to go, Marc's 9 shots off the lead and only 3 shots off the top 10. #TeamAUS | @GolfAust — AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 18, 2025 Playing in the first group of round two, Marc Leishman is three-under for the day through nine. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2025 The 41-year-old Victorian had bemoaned the interminable first round, complaining he felt like he'd been out there 'for about 12 hours' amid constant snarl-ups through slow play. But freed up among Friday's very first group out, the LIV Golf veteran, two-over-par overnight, enjoyed five birdies in the first dozen holes to move momentarily to within a shot of the early lead. Two bogeys at the next two holes, including a horrid shank off the tee at 13, checked his magisterial progress but a decade on from his 2015 St Andrews near-miss when beaten in a play-off, Leishman, three times an Open top-10 finisher, was able to come through with a smile. 'I was obviously pretty frustrated last night when I came in here,' he told reporters, apologetically. 'I always say to my wife, 'if I've had a bad day on the course, just give me 10 minutes, and I'll be good' ... I think you got me about the eight-minute mark!' Having got up at 4am - 'I set the alarm as late as possible, I love my sleep,' he sighed - Leishman spent the rest of Friday after his round watching his rivals' travails on TV. 'l'll probably have a pint or two of Guinness and enjoy my afternoon,' he had noted. There was nothing enjoyable for Scott out there, though, on his 25th consecutive British Open and 97th straight major appearance. Having started out as joint-leading Aussie alongside Smith, after their first-round 72s, Scott had been hoping to celebrate his eve-of-tournament 45th birthday with another stirring crack at the Claret Jug. But he had the most miserable day, making three double bogeys at the short third, the par four 11th where he drove into the bushes, and the par three 16th, before a bogey at the last left him with a 79 - his worst round at the British Open since his 82 at Royal St George's 22 years ago - and a tournament total of nine over. Smith fared little better, the 2022 champion shooting a 78, coughing up six bogeys and a double, with his lone birdie coming at the 17th as he ended on eight over. Min Woo Lee (73, five over for the championship), Lucas Herbert (72, four over), Curtis Luck (70, eight over) and Ryan Peake (73, eight over) didn't make it either. Early starter Elvis Smylie (70, three over) had a long fruitless wait, hoping the fairly mild weather might worsen to allow him to scrape in.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Lions desperate for fast start in Test that will set the tone for Australia series
Whatever unfolds over the next three Saturdays this British & Irish Lions series will resonate more than its predecessor. Simply to see visiting fans in red jerseys wandering down Queen Street in central Brisbane is to be thankful the whole enterprise has a beating heart once again, in contrast to South Africa four years ago when a Covid-disrupted, spectator-free experience sapped everyone's spirits. Because a Lions tour is nothing without a human element, enticed back every four years by the fabled steepness of the challenge. 'This is our Everest, boys,' growled Jim Telfer back in 1997 and, as usual, the master coach was right. On only three occasions in the past 50 years has a Lions squad returned home triumphant and, for now, a series win remains the holy grail for the professional egg chasers of England, Ireland, Scotland and, if selected, Wales. As expectancy levels rise again, though, there is one nagging caveat which grows increasingly hard to sidestep. The Wallabies are currently languishing down at sixth in the World Rugby rankings and, consequently, nobody can recall a Lions squad being shorter-odds favourites anywhere, anytime. Beating Australia right now, some argue, would be less a case of scaling Everest than taking a leisurely amble along Bondi Beach. Even the Lions have been talking aloud about gunning for a 3-0 clean sweep and, in the process, creating a chunky slice of history. All their three series wins from their past 12 attempts have been by a margin of 2-1; it is necessary to scroll right back to 1974 to find a properly rampant Lions side who, in a four-Test series against South Africa, won three Tests and drew the last. All of which makes Saturday's first Test particularly significant. If the Lions romp to a 30-point victory, it will inevitably stoke the debate about whether they should look at touring elsewhere in 12 years' time. If, on the other hand, the Wallabies replicate their Twickenham boilover at England's expense in November, fresh existential questions may start to be asked about the Lions themselves: are they now an overblown vanity project whose raison d'être, in the fast-changing modern world, is fraying? So, no pressure. If a Lions series really is the pinnacle of the sport then, bluntly, the quality of the on-field action needs to justify the billing. The Lions may have shrugged off their pre-departure defeat to Argentina in Dublin but that result has been thrown into sharp relief by England's recent 2-0 away series win over the Pumas. Similarly, the Wallabies were on the brink of going down to Fiji earlier this month. Assessing the Lions' tour games in Australia so far has been equally tricky: five wins from five outings, 32 tries scored, nine against, top-drawer opposition conspicuously absent. There have been flashes of excellence but not quite enough to guarantee a happy ending once the real stuff kicks off at the atmospheric Suncorp Stadium. It leaves both teams holding out for a hero. And if there is one showman equipped to dominate the stage it is surely Finn Russell, the Bath and Scotland fly-half now auditioning to be the Lions wizard in Oz. Some great 10s have worn the red jersey down the years and Russell has his chance to join the fly-half pantheon. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Four years ago he was a late addition in South Africa, featuring only as a replacement in the final Test. Since then he has become a catalyst who regularly shapes games to his personal will. Operating flat to the gainline, seeing space no one else can, fizzing out wide passes, dinking on the money cross-kicks to his wingers … the 32-year-old has become the complete package. To the point where if he was wearing gold this weekend the bookies' odds would be much less definitive. And if that heaps still more pressure on the shoulders of the 22-year-old Tom Lynagh, making his first start for the land of his distinguished father, that is the harsh reality of elite Test rugby. Give Russell some quick ball, with his Scotland teammates Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones at his elbow, and the Lions really could ask some penetrating questions, with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe both ready to apply the finishing gloss. The Wallabies' biggest challenge, then, will be to cut the supply lines to both Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park, his equally sharp partner in crime at half-back. And the longer they can do so, the more they will fancy their chances. It is no point pretending the loss of the injured Rob Valetini, Will Skelton et al is not a blow but Joe Schmidt is invariably a man with a plan and the presence on the bench of some potentially lively impact replacements is no coincidence. The Lions' selection has been slightly more conservative, with the emphasis placed squarely on a forceful, physical start. History would suggest they need one; on their past three tours the widest margin either way in a Lions first Test has been five points. You also have to go back to 2001 and Jason Robinson sensationally skinning Chris Latham on the outside in this very city inside the opening three minutes for an example of a Lions team cutting loose from the outset. This one could be another slow burner unless, say, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii can jump high to steal an early restart and set the tone for a more frenetic kind of contest. The Lions defence has been well organised so far but Suaalii's aerial ability is in another dimension. The Wallabies have also picked Jake Gordon at scrum-half for his tactical acumen while the new cap Nick Champion de Crespigny will be bursting to impress on the flank. If he goes well and Australia get over the line, brace yourself for the 'Champion the Wonder Horse' headlines. It all lends this first Test a distinctly series-shaping feel. In South Africa the Lions won the opener only to surrender the remaining two, a pattern that feels unlikely this time around. The onus, accordingly, is on Australia to channel the power and the passion of Midnight Oil at their finest and make one or two Lions eat their confident words. In that event all those bullish pre-series predictions will be blown away like so many discarded pie wrappers. Farewell to Bondi and welcome back to Everest the hard way. More likely is a tense initial tussle, at least for the first hour. But what if Farrell's team have been holding back their best? Or if the Wallabies cannot lay a glove on the artful Russell? Win the first Test well and, at the very least, the travelling sea of red will be up and roaring. At which point the idea of a 3-0 series outcome will morph from banter into a serious possibility.
