Cameron Munster knows Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is coming for him in Friday night’s NRL grand final qualifier and says he’s ready for it.
The star Melbourne playmaker has long been in the cross-hairs of the firebrand prop, with Munster emerging from a 2016 scrap between the pair with his jersey in tatters.
Ahead of their preliminary final at AAMI Park, Munster said he knew he would again be a target.
“That’s Jared being Jared – I’m not going to sugar-coat it, I know he’s coming this Friday,” Munster said at the team’s media day in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“That’s rugby league, it’s a contact sport and you don’t play it as touch footy so I know what I’m out there for and I know exactly what he’s going to bring. I’m ready for the battle, I’m excited for it.
“We’re one game away from giving ourselves an opportunity to create history as a group and we all know what’s on the line.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of heated aggression out there on Friday night and it’s just a matter of who controls it the best.”
Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona also has a fierce history with his Kiwis teammate Waerea-Hargreaves and skipped the media day, unwilling to provide any fuel for the fire.
Melbourne skipper Harry Grant said he expected Asofa-Solomona not to get caught up in the emotion, with the match potentially Waerea-Hargreaves’ last in the NRL ahead of his shift to play in the UK.
“Nelson is so important to our team and we want Nelson on the field for as long as possible, we don’t want him in the sin-bin or giving away penalties,” Grant said.
“But he’s been so mature and experienced with the way he’s handled the last couple of months, I don’t think Nelson will be keen or needs to get involved.”
Melbourne duo Munster and Jahrome Hughes will face a new halves pairing with 21-year-old Sandon Smith joining veteran Rooster Luke Keary.
In only Smith’s fourth start of the year and 10th overall in the NRL, Munster said it was difficult to know what the youngster would produce in such a high-stakes game.
But he could see similarities between Smith and the player he replaced, injured halfback Sam Walker.
“He’s (Smith) only started a couple of games it’s hard to say what he’ll be able to bring,” said 30-year-old Munster, who has been doing extra wrestling to make sure his troublesome groin gets through the finals campaign.
“He looks like one of those kids that is a bit like Sammy Walker in a way; ad-lib, fast, good on their feet, probably can create things that some people can’t.
“Sometimes when you play against guys like Nathan Cleary, Nicho Hynes, you know their traits or things that they do in the game but where you haven’t really seen a whole heap on Sandon Smith so you’ve got to go out there and be aware.”
