An evasive answer from Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters regarding the issue of Cameron Munster has been interpreted as an indication the Brisbane club are likely to enter the race for the Melbourne Storm half.
Munster made headlines this week after it was revealed that he was likely to test his worth on the player market come November 1, despite the fact Melbourne have already made an offer to retain his services.
Ahead of this weekendโs clash between Brisbane and Melbourne, Walters was asked if the Broncos could pursue Munster, and his inability to deny the possibility has set tongues wagging.
โEvery club would (be interested) I reckon,โ Walters told Fox Sports when asked if the club would be interested if Munster were available.
โThere are two or three guys in that category (as the gameโs best player). He had a great Origin series and backed it up in the last couple of weeks.
โAs a player and a coach you want to go against these guys and see what kind of plans we can come up with to limit them.โ
Munsterโs manager Braith Anasta used his platform on NRL360 to clarify what he said was โmiscommunicationโ around the issue this week, but ultimately did little more than confirm that Munster testing his value on November 1 was the most likely outcome.
โCameron is still negotiating with Melbourne at the moment,โ Anasta said.
โTheyโve been unbelievable throughout the process. But as it stands right now, it looks most likely at this point that we will go to market in November. Things could change between now and then (but) thatโs where it is right now.โ
Storm coach Craig Bellamy also weighed in on the issue, saying his star player is largely unfazed by the sideshow of speculation.
โNothing seems to ruffle him up too much,โ Bellamy said.
โThe last conversation we had was about six weeks ago and all he wanted to do was concentrate on his footy for this year.
โObviously thereโs a lot of noise at the moment. But he knows weโre really keen to keep him at the club, he knows how important he is. Weโll go all out with what we can do to keep him here.โ