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Cameron Munster placed on report in NRL grand final for allegedly biting Panther Paul Alamoti

Ben McClellan
The Nightly
Cameron Munster has been placed on report for biting.
Cameron Munster has been placed on report for biting. Credit: Channel 9

Cameron Munster’s grand final horror show could end in suspension after the Storm star was cited for allegedly biting a Penrith player in the final stages of Melbourne’s loss.

The Storm five-eighth was racing downfield late in Sunday’s 14-6 loss to Penrith at Accor Stadium when tackled by Paul Alamoti.

Penrith centre Alamoti placed his arm across Munster’s face as he completed the tackle and his forearm appeared to go near the Storm five-eighth’s mouth.

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Munster, who was wearing a mouthguard, played the ball and the game moved downfield before referee Ashley Klein blew his whistle.

Klein halted play and turned to Munster and said: “It can’t be certain, it’s on report. They (the match review committee) will deal with it later…I just saw saliva.”

St George Illawarra’s Kyle Flanagan was the most recent player to be charged with biting. He was handed a five-week suspension in August.

Munster was among Melbourne’s new awesome foursome - hooker Harry Grant, halfback Jahrome Hughes, five-eighth Cameron Munster and fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen - who failed win the club’s first premiership of the post-Cameron Smith era.

The Storm had been so good at the back end of the year that, even accounting for the absence of suspended man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona, they began as favourites with bookmakers.

Most of Munster’s work came by cleaning up after his teammates while Papenhuyzen rarely got the chance to hit open space because Penrith’s kick-chase went after him time and again.

While Munster and Grant had a few promising darts downfield as the Storm tried to play catch-up, the rest of their teammates were out on their feet.

Late in the game, and with back-rower Luke Garner defending in the centres, Melbourne had the chance to go to the Panthers’ right edge but inexplicably attacked the left.

It was a sure sign that they had been suffocated by the Penrith boa constrictor.

with AAP

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