Maroons rally around grief-stricken captain Cameron Munster for State of Origin decider
The death of Munster's father Steven has saddened the playing group, who are also inspired by their captain's braveheart decision to play on Wednesday night after spending time with his family.
Munster left Maroons camp on Sunday morning to grieve and support his family, but is expected to rejoin the team, possibly as early as Tuesday's captain's run in Sydney.
Munster's Melbourne and Maroons teammate, hooker Harry Grant, grew up in the 30-year-old's home town of Rockhampton and knows the family well. He said Munster's dad would be proud of his decision to play.
'When you think about it, Cameron Munster captaining Queensland brings so much pride to his whole family, and Stevie-boy would love to see him out there in the maroon captaining his state,' Grant said.
'I think it is very brave the way he is handling the situation. We have to respect the way he is handling it and give him that time and space ... and then flick the mindset to Queensland Maroons, Origin and what is around the corner.
'The best way we can support him is throwing our arms around him and ultimately ... with our performance and our preparation.
'It shows the strength of character of Cam and who he is, and more importantly how much the Maroons mean to him and his family.''
He said Munster's loss also provided perspective on life itself, and while Origin means so much to so many, ultimately it is just a game.
'It hits everyone hard, as we are all aware. You don't know what is around the corner, so you have got to be nice and present and take in the moments you have,' Grant said.
'(Munster has) a beautiful family and I've had plenty of moments and plenty of experiences with the family over the years. What we can control is our performance, and that's the best way to pay our respects to the family.
'It's a real reminder that this is just a game, and as much as we love it there is more to life than rugby league. At the end of the day sometimes rugby league is people's lives as well.'
As for when Munster would return to camp, Grant said that was up to him.
'If he can make it back, and him and his family have made that decision and Cam's OK to travel south, then he'll make captain's run,' he said.
'We've got training late Tuesday arvo, which gives him every chance to spend as much time with the family as he can.'
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