Munster’s No.1 move a week-to-week call

Scott Bailey | August 12, 2022

Craig Bellamy will weigh up Cameron Munster’s fullback move on a week-by-week basis with the positional switch holding the power to reignite Melbourne’s NRL season.

A week after scoring a hat-trick in his first game back at fullback, Munster was again one of the Storm’s best in their 16-0 win over Penrith on Thursday night.

The Queensland State of Origin star impressed in both attack and defence, at one stage saving a try and busting downfield in the same minute to keep the Storm in control.

Melbourne’s season looked shot when Ryan Papenhuyzen went down last month with a year-ending knee injury as part of a four-match losing streak for the Storm.

But four weeks later and Melbourne are now back among the competition’s genuine contenders, with their attack looking dangerous again with Munster at the back.

Asked about his finals plans after Thursday night’s win, Bellamy said Munster and Nick Meaney could alternate between fullback and five-eighth.

“We will probably look at it on our opposition, and what we think the best way to use Munster and (Meaney)’s strengths,” Bellamy said. 

“I’m not quite sure that we will stick to Munster at fullback all the time. 

“We need to have a chat about that with our leaders and our halves and see how we go from there.

“Whatever we decide on at the end of the year he and Nick will have a bit of practice there.”

Regardless of what Melbourne decide, Munster’s move has proven a wake-up call for the competition.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary made no secret of Munster’s danger at No.1 on Thursday night, as he also had a role in the Storm’s first try and then helped keep the Panthers scoreless for the first time since 2015.

“I don’t know whether fullback is much different, but he doesn’t have as much defensive work to do. He is definitely dangerous,” Cleary noted

“(He was) definitely a threat.”

Bellamy, however, refuses to believe that the Storm have entirely turned things around.

He was not convinced in the midst of Melbourne’s losing streak last month that this season was salvageable, and Bellamy believes they have some way to go to be competitive late in the finals.

Thursday night’s win should give them some boost however, ensuring they will finish the round in the top four with three weeks to go.

“I think it was our best defensive performance (against Penrith), we kept them to zero,” Bellamy said.

“They had a few guys out as well. 

“(But to say we’ve) turned it around, it’s a bit of strong term to be honest. 

“We had some good things against the Warriors and Titans, and some things things that didn’t go that well.”