Cameron Munster and wife Bianca announce safe arrival of new baby seven weeks early

Melbourne Storm premiership winner Cameron Munster and wife Bianca have announced the safe arrival of their third child.

Their first daughter was not due until well after the NRL finals, which begin this weekend, but made “a grand entrance seven weeks early”.

“In absolute awe of the new addition to our family. Blake Maria Munster,” the couple wrote.

While the baby has made an unexpected arrival, navigating a newborn during the NRL season is familiar territory.

The Munsters welcomed son Jagger in August last year.

They became parents for the first time when son Jaxon was born in 2021, and announced the most recent pregnancy at Melbourne’s AAMI Park home ground with a miniature Storm jersey.

Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen were among the teammates to congratulate the Munsters on the new addition this week.

“Yessssssss this is amazing,” Munster’s manager and league great Braith Anasta said.

Munster and the Storm host Cronulla in a qualifying final on Saturday, with a win guaranteeing the minor premiers a week off and one more home game before a possible NRL grand final appearance.

Melbourne’s ascension to the premiership decider for the first time since 2020 has appeared a certainty through their march to finishing on top of the ladder.

Craig Bellamy’s side have won 11 of their past 12 matches when playing with anything close to a full-strength squad.

Munster, 29, missed the start of the season with a groin complaint and another two months in the middle when it led to an adductor tendon tear but he has now played the last seven games,

In 2021 the Storm finished minor premiers in a season when they won 19 games in a row, equalling the all-time premiership record achieved by the champion 1975 Eastern Suburbs side.

The defending premiers were marching towards back-to-back titles when they played poorly in a 10-6 loss to Penrith in the preliminary final. Instead of the Storm going on a title run it was the Panthers who won three premierships in a row.

“In 2022 and 2023 Penrith were the best side all year but in 2021 it was anyone’s competition. I think that was the most hurtful thing,” Munster said.

“Anyone could have won it and I think that’s what burns me, burns Bellyache (coach Craig Bellamy) and burns half the squad.

“That was probably a year gone begging for us. Of course we’d like to make amends. You can’t dwell on the past but hopefully we can learn from it.”

One of the reasons Munster knocked back the Dolphins and extended at the Storm in late 2022 was because he watched the Panthers win the grand final that year and had feelings of envy.

He realised getting back to another grand final would more likely happen at Melbourne for him and not elsewhere.

Munster has also learned that making grand finals isn’t a given. As a youngster it was just what the Storm did. To win a title as a senior leader in the team would please Munster no end.

“It would be massive,” he said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be in three grand finals in a row - 2016, 2017 and 2018 - and I thought it comes every year.

“It doesn’t happen. I’ve realised that in the last four years. It takes a lot of hard work and a depth squad to be able to give yourself a chance in grand finals.

“I feel like we’ve got the squad to do it this year. It’s just a matter if we want it more.”

Melbourne could now be boosted by Papenhuyzen’s return for the finals.

Wednesday’s training session will conclusively determine whether Papenhuyzen has recovered from a leg injury suffered during Melbourne’s penultimate regular-season fixture.

Substituted out of that game, the injury-plagued fullback also missed last week’s win over Brisbane to rest his bone bruising, but has since returned to the track.

“I had a little run the other day and felt sweet,” Papenhuyzen said.

“We’ll get more of a gauge on it (on Wednesday), but I’m confident, the medical staff seem confident, so I should be sweet for the first week.”

His likely recovery will be a relief to the Storm, who won’t have replacement fullback Sua Fa’alogo back from a hamstring issue until the third week of the finals.

A serious concussion, fractured kneecap, hamstring tear and two broken ankles have combined to restrict Papenhuyzen to only 47 games across the past four years.

The 26-year-old admitted he had again feared the prospect of another long lay-off when he went down with his latest injury against North Queensland.

“It’s quite natural, right,” Papenhuyzen said.

“Those periods of ‘Why me?’ probably get shorter every time, but they’re still there.”

The fullback has become used to looking on the bright side during his injury struggles, pointing out he has managed more games this year than in any other since the Storm’s 2020 premiership season.

“Injuries are a part of any sport and unfortunately I’ve had a few,” Papenhuyzen said.

“But at the same time I’ve had a pretty good year this year. I think I’ve played 17 games altogether and I’m confident the body’s going to hold up.

“It’s just about what can I learn out of that (injury) situation. It might be learning something new about your recovery or how to deal with this.

“That’s what I’m trying to look at it as: how you respond to it, and what lessons you can get out of it.”

- with AAP