New South Wales issue touching gesture to Cameron Munster - as Queensland skipper mourns the tragic passing of his father days out from State of Origin III
Munster left the Maroon's camp on Sunday to be with his family but has made the brave decision to honour his dad and lead his team out in Wednesday's State of Origin III decider at the Accor Stadium.
After Queensland coach Billy Slater issued a statement to members of the media on Sunday to announce the news, New South Wales also sent their condolences to the Munster family.
'New South Wales Rugby League and the NSW Blues are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Queensland captain Cameron Munster's father Steve,' a statement published on X read.
'We would like to send out condolences to Cameron and his family during this difficult time.'
New South Wales issued a touching statement on Sunday, sending their condolences to Munster and his family
Steven Munster was one of his son's biggest supporters and had travelled up and down the country, alongside his partner Debbie, to watch Cameron play footy.
The Maroons had spoken to Munster to tell him he could sit out the match, but the Queensland captain has made the inspiring decision to play on Wednesday night.
'Unfortunately, we woke to the sad news of the passing of Cameron Munster's father Steven Munster overnight. Cam will exit camp to be with his family before rejoining his team for the game on Wednesday,' Slater said, while surrounded by his Maroons players.
'On behalf of myself, our footy team and the state of Queensland we send our thoughts, our love and condolences to Steven Munster's family and friends, in particular his wife Debbie, his daughter Danielle and of course his son Cameron.'
Munster's club team, Melbourne Storm, have also issued a tribute to his late father, Steven.
'Melbourne Storm wishes to offer its deepest condolences to the Munster family following the passing of Cameron's father Steve overnight,' the club wrote in a statement on Sunday.
'Steve was a beloved member of the Storm family and an incredible supporter of Cameron and the Club.
'He was a regular in the Storm sheds and at events along with his wife, Deborah, and was a constant presence at his State of Origin and Australian representative matches.'
After suffering defeat in State of Origin I, Munster took the captaincy and stood out for the Maroons with a man-of-the-match performance. The 30-year-old showcased his brilliance, making 21 tackles and amassing 160m with the ball in hand.
Prior to this week's State of Origin decider, Munster told reporters last week that he was going to 'stand up' again for the match and deliver a big performance to get the victory.
'There's a lot riding on it and there's a lot of history that needs to be broken, but things tend to get broken,' Munster said.
'I'm probably going to need to stand up again for game three and I'll make sure I do.
'I have played in a decider in Sydney when we just got beaten by them in the last two minutes. We had come back in a miraculous way. I think we were down 14 points at one stage, but then Tedesco scored and broke our hearts.
'I know they're a good quality outfit and we're a good quality outfit too. We keep speaking about bringing our best game and we brought it for the first 40 minutes (in Perth) but it's going to take a whole 80-minute performance in Sydney.'
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