Queensland star playmaker Cameron Munster is committed to this year’s State of Origin series, even if it means another quarantine bubble and a big pay cut.
This year’s Origin series will be played on the first three Wednesdays of November, with players likely to be in a coronavirus biosecurity bubble for a month.
Munster has been out of Melbourne since early June, with the Storm based on the Sunshine Coast for the NRL season, but says while another hub period isn’t ideal, he will do whatever it takes.
“It’s not idea to jump in another bubble but I’d love to play for my state again if I get the opportunity,” Munster said on Wednesday.
“I’m more than happy to jump in another bubble as long as we’re not living like prisoners.”
The NRL and Rugby League Players Association are negotiating Origin payments, with reports that players could expect as much as a 50 per cent cut to their current $30,000 per game remittance.
NRL players have already accepted up a 20 per cent pay cut for this season due to the effects of COVID-19 on the competition.
An Origin chop didn’t bother 25-year-old Munster, who has played seven matches for the Maroons since his 2017 debut.
“As a young kid growing up in Queensland everyone wanted to wear the Maroon (jersey) and you’ve got to remember players like Trevor Gillmeister and Alfie (Allan Langer), they weren’t getting the match payment that we’re getting – they were playing for the love of the game,” he said.
“The hit to the pay isn’t ideal but eventually something’s got to give and the great thing about our game is that no one is bigger than it.
“It’s not a massive issue at all, it’s being able to play for the Maroons if I get the opportunity.”