The Melbourne Storm have confirmed they will offer Cameron Munster a contract extension if he wants to play on beyond the end of 2027.
The Storm five-eighth and Queensland captain has barely been out of the headlines over the last year or so, with his name linked to the Perth Bears, then the PNG Chiefs, and now rugby union.
He was also tossed up as an option for Rugby 360 when that competition was originally supposed to launch at the end of 2026.
The Storm, at the time, indicated they would be open to sitting down with Munster to ensure he was able to finish the career the way he wanted to, with the money on the table from elsewhere likely to have gone well past what Melbourne offered.
Even stretching back years, he was believed to have been courted by the Dolphins, but Munster has stuck solid with the Storm and will see out at least his current deal through to the end of 2027.
It appeared the biggest chance of Munster leaving the Storm was when the club were sorting out Jonah Pezet's future, but with a player who was once considered a large part of the club now gone - having been able to do so after Jahrome Hughes re-signed to the end of 2028, the Victorian outfit are desperate to retain Munster to the end of his career.
Speaking to News Corp, Storm boss Matt Tripp confirmed they will look at another deal if Munster wants to play in 2028.
“We don't want Cam going anywhere,” Tripp said.
“If he wants to go on, we will definitely look at another deal. We will find a way to make it happen.
“That's on the proviso that no one comes and blows us out of the water.
“Maybe Cam won't get another offer, but we hear noise all the time and I'm awake to that. We'll do what we can to keep him.”
While Munster has not indicated he wants to hang up the boots yet, his form at club level has been on the wane this year, with the Storm in real danger of missing the finals for the first time in Craig Bellamy's two-and-a-bit decade stint at the club.
Munster will be critical to the Storm if they are going to get out of the hole they are in, and while form has shown signs of a turnaround, the five-eighth admitted on his 167 Podcast with Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen recently that he actively was not watching other games anymore due to the rule changes and pace of play this year.
It has been theorised that the faster the game gets, the more likely it will be players retire at a younger age, with older statesmen of the sport simply not able to keep up.
Munster, at this stage, is still one of the game's highest-paid players, and it's believed the Storm have no major salary cap headaches despite being top heavy.
