There’s no place like home for Cameron Munster and Harry Grant, with the Central Queensland duo receiving a rousing welcome as the Maroons touched down in Rockhampton for a fan day to kick-start their Game Three campaign.
Norths Knights junior Munster spent his formative year developing his skills playing at the town’s local footy oval, before catching the attention of the Melbourne Storm playing Queensland Cup for the Central Queensland Capras under former Maroon Jason Hetherington.
Grant grew up just up the road in Yeppoon playing for the Seagulls, with plenty of fans from that area and beyond driving hundreds of kilometres to catch a glimpse of their hometown heroes.
What doesn’t sit right for the duo is Queensland’s recent record at their ‘home’ venue of Suncorp Stadium with the Maroons having lost their past two games played at the iconic venue.
In Game One last year, both were part of the 18-6 loss to the Blues, while Grant suffered a loss in the Game Three decider in 2024, a series Munster missed due to injury.
“Oh yeah, for sure, there's always going to be that,” Grant said when asked if it a record they wanted to rectify.
“But if you look too far back, you'll sort of forget where you're where you're trying to go.
“At the end of the day this is a new group, it's a fresh opportunity and I think it's one (where) it is in our hands.
“The game's not here yet, so it's just about getting after our week in the right way, preparing the right way.
“Today (at the fan day) is a big part of it, going out there and, and making a difference in some Queenslanders' lives out there.
“(Playing in the decider) I think for me it’s not really getting caught up in the occasion, obviously we all know it’s a decider and we know what’s on the other side of it.
“I think as much as we can as players, (we need) to bring it back to what brings our best game to life, what sets our best game up.
“There’s a whole lot of preparation that goes on between now and Wednesday and that’s probably the most important thing.”
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For Munster – who has a perfect record in deciders played at Suncorp Stadium – there was pressure on his side to perform to make sure they could seal the deal for their fans.
“When you talk about pressure, there’s always that element of being the home team with the home ground advantage,” Munster said.
“It plays a part on you, and there’s always noise about them saying they (New South Wales) have to come here and they’re going to struggle.
“You can read into the noise … but at the end of the day, it’s put a lot of emphasis on us to make sure we get our game on.
“I’m sure they’re hurting and licking their wounds, but we’re not going to take them lightly.
“They’re a great quality outfit, they’re not playing for the New South Wales Blues for no reason – they’re the best of the best and we all have off nights and I’m sure they are going to bring their best next Wednesday.
“As a group there’s no better feeling (than winning a decider), I think as a captain when you go onto Suncorp, it’s the heart of rugby league and Origin arenas.
“Everyone talks about holding the shield, I was lucky enough to do that last year, and to be able to do it on my home ground is something very special to tick off the bucket list.
“But you can’t look too far ahead, we still have another seven days of preparation to get through before Wednesday.
“I'm pretty confident in this group, there’s a lot of belief around this group, and if we can get our game on and play like we have been in the first couple of games, I think it's going to be a great night for us.
“But we have to get it on. They’re going to be there, they are going to be backs against the wall, and with no pressure on them at the moment – there’s all the pressure is on us.
“We’ll go back into camp the next couple days and get our preparation right.”
Don't miss a minute of the action when Queensland and NSW collide in an epic State of Origin decider. Live on Channel 9, 9Now and Watch NRL, Wednesday July 8.
