Cameron Munster is rugby union's most wanted man in rugby league, and now the code knows.
The Maroons captain told CODE Sports that he has fielded approaches from rugby, both locally and abroad, with manager Braith Anasta revealing preliminary interest was tabled as far back as October when a third-party associate with Australian rugby connections pitched a vision of Munster in Wallaby gold.
No formal offer landed on the table, but the meeting was real, the intent was clear, and the door was left ajar.
The timing makes sense, as Munster is off-contract at the end of the 2027 season, which makes him a free agent from November 1.
There's one thing, however, that he keeps coming back to: the Maroons jersey.
"I love Origin, and I love Queensland. Being Queensland captain is something you never want to give up," Munster said.
"You get offers and opportunities that might interest you at different stages of life, but right now I'm very happy playing NRL and representing Queensland.
"Any player who has played Origin will tell you that you never want to give up your jersey.
"When your time is up, your time is up, but I still feel like mine is here.
"When you get older, you want to look back and know you stayed in the jersey for as long as possible.
"That's what drives me, and I've still got that fire in my belly. At some point, you have to put your family first, but right now Queensland comes first for me."
Munster was also on the radar of rebel competition R360, though that venture's planned kick-off in 2028 leaves the pursuit of the Storm playmaker in limbo.
Anasta doesn't deny the approaches are genuine. He's equally candid about what he believes will keep his client in league.
"I'd be lying if I said he hadn't (been approached by rugby)," Anasta said.
"Over the time I've managed him, we've had inquiries from rugby at different stages.
"The thing with Cameron is he's such a talented athlete that every option is available to him.
"You could put him in rugby, and he'd attract interest everywhere. He's skilful and has a great kicking game. Like most players at his level, he's never going to struggle for opportunities.
"If he wanted to go down that path, he could.
"But Cameron loves rugby league. It's his pride and joy. What really drives him to stay in the code is the Queensland captaincy.
"I don't think he'd give the captaincy up. He loves it too much. That's a huge reason why I don't think he'd leave. But you never know. Anything can happen."
Munster wouldn't be the first Maroon to answer rugby's call, but none of the players who went to Union was the captain of the Queensland Maroons at the time they left.
Right now, he's not focused on another code, instead on the two years he has with the Melbourne Storm and hoping for a premiership after losing back-to-back trips to the Panthers in 2024 and the Broncos in 2025.
"Rugby union is a great worldwide game, and everything interests me when it comes to footy, but I'm not focused on that right now,” he said.
"I've still got a couple of years left at Melbourne, I'm loving my footy, and I still love rugby league. Once you lose that love, that's when you start looking elsewhere."
"I'll make a decision at the end of the year about what's best for me and my family."
