The Melbourne Storm have accepted that their hopes of securing Cameron Munster will almost certainly be impacted by the November 1 market circus after the star half confirmed he was putting talks on hold to focus on the finals.
With Munster almost certain to be selected by Mal Meninga for the World Cup soon after the finals are complete, it seems unlikely the Storm five-eighth will be available for in-depth discussions until early November.
Club Chairman Matt Tripp admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that he wasn’t sure a deal could be done before then.
“We’re resigned to the fact that if it gets to November 1 and he’s not committed to the Storm long-term, we’re going to struggle to keep him,” Tripp said.
“We’ll certainly be in the mix but every club has put their best foot forward now. He’s just got to work out whether he goes to the November 1 frenzy. If he does, we’ll still be in the race, but we’d like a commitment before then.”
Tripp also confirmed the Storm have now played their hand, and that they won’t be increasing their most recent offer for the star, which was described by his manager as ‘impressive’.
“We’ve put our best foot forward. There are no changes to that offer, there won’t be any changes,” Tripp said.
While happy to delay the decision until the season is done, Munster did admit that his family would play the biggest part in his decision.
“If it was only about myself then I’d love to stay,” Munster told the Herald.
“At the same time I’ve got a young family that I need to worry about, and (Munster’s partner Bianca) is from Queensland, so we need to make sure we make the right decision.”
