{"id":960599,"date":"2026-11-11T13:06:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T13:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/960599\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T13:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T13:06:18","slug":"rugby-league-world-cup-munster-ready-to-kick-for-kangaroos-in-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/960599\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby League World Cup: Munster ready to kick for Kangaroos in final"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cameron Muster doesn\u2019t like goalkicking, but the Kangaroos five-eighth will again put his hand up for the crucial role against New Zealand in Sunday night\u2019s Rugby League World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium if he\u2019s the best option for the job.<\/p>\n

With fullback Reece Walsh\u2019s groins not at 100 per cent, Munster has taken shots for goal in Australia\u2019s past two wins.<\/p>\n

He kicked five from seven in the Kangaroos\u2019 66-6 thrashing of the Cook Islands on October 31 before landing six from eight in Australia\u2019s 44-12 semi-final win over Samoa last Sunday.<\/p>\n

Munster joked that the key to his good goalkicking record in recent weeks was \u201cnot practising\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe probably haven\u2019t got a whole heap of goalkickers in our team, so I guess I had to take the kicking duties,\u201d he said in reference to more recognised kickers Sam Walker and Latrell Mitchell only being part of a six-man bench.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be completely honest, I don\u2019t really like goalkicking. Reece is our No.1 one kicker, so if he feels good enough to do it on Sunday, he\u2019ll take over. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf he pulls up a little bit lame after (Saturday\u2019s) Captain\u2019s Run with his groins, I\u2019ll probably take over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munster, 32, said his willingness to kick for goal came with experience after believing having the role at Melbourne Storm for different periods earlier in his career \u201ctook away\u201d from his \u201cfooty ability\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe older you get, sometimes you want to take those responsibilities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we do get the opportunity to take two points at certain stages of the (final), you\u2019ve got to make sure you ice them. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen (New Zealand) has got guys like Jamayne Isaako and Kalyn Ponga, you know they\u2019ve got some good arsenals in their team to be able to kick goals. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to make sure you\u2019re definitely on with the boot, so that\u2019ll be something that we\u2019ll be focusing on, but if we focus on only our goalkicking, I can guarantee we won\u2019t be winning the game on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munster\u2019s overall form seems to be peaking at the right team after he delivered for the Kangaroos in their 32-point disposal of Samoa.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes things don\u2019t go your way, or they do go your way in certain games, and sometimes you get your flowers from it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I am playing my best, it is when I\u2019m running the ball, and that\u2019s the mindset and the aim for myself on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they (New Zealand) have got a plan around myself, and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll have to try to figure out a way to get around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speculation continues about Munster\u2019s club future. His Storm contract expires at the end of next season, and he has been linked with a move to NRL expansion club Papua New Guinea Chiefs in 2028.<\/p>\n

However, he insists he\u2019s solely focused on helping the Kangaroos when the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy manager\u2019s dealing with all that (club) stuff. That\u2019s all I\u2019ve got to say,\u201d he said.
\u201cI\u2019ll just talk about the World Cup. Everyone\u2019s worrying about everyone\u2019s position, but it\u2019s all good and well to worry about NRL teams or where you want to go next year, but we\u2019re missing the purpose of being at a World Cup and getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as Cameron Munster ready to take Kangaroos goalkicking duties in World Cup final amid Reece Walsh concerns<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cameron Muster doesn\u2019t like goalkicking, but the Kangaroos five-eighth will again put his hand up for the crucial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":960600,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[528517,528511,528498,528519,528509,384828,528501,406040,524484,45986,380891,172475,528510,380489,378662,380634,402247,376637,396161,384399,64,63,651,278347,4567,528500,9659,32092,528497,528488,10970,528513,249,528499,97373,528494,519213,528512,31645,235080,528503,379545,528496,528518,377168,528490,528521,402308,3762,3195,528515,528507,528506,4466,528520,136041,388599,383343,761,762,1736,43961,33725,155207,35062,158,528486,81041,150917,528504,528492,407491,6622,94,382528,465095,13391,528487,444,528514,139707,528493,5993,46907,188525,528508,3203,85,383337,40050,8825,430307,377205,404413,392008,509779,528516,215379,247976,74713,380914,11637,528502,9254,528495,388549,380430,471281,412618,376555,72503,528505,414654,528491,412303,113761,528489,384215],"class_list":["post-960599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-s-44-12-semi-final-win","tag-s-club-future","tag-s-groins","tag-s-overall-form","tag-s-past-two-wins-he","tag-s-position","tag-s-rugby-league-world-cup-final","tag-s-run","tag-s-world-cup-final","tag-45986","tag-2028-however","tag-172475","tag-66-6-thrashing","tag-a-little-bit","tag-a-move","tag-a-plan","tag-a-six-man-bench","tag-a-way","tag-a-whole-heap","tag-a-world-cup","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-qld","tag-cameron-munster","tag-cameron-muster","tag-captain","tag-cent","tag-certain-games","tag-certain-stages","tag-club","tag-different-periods","tag-experience","tag-fullback-reece-walsh","tag-goal","tag-goalkickers","tag-goalkicking","tag-goalkicking-duties","tag-goals","tag-guys","tag-his-footy-ability","tag-his-career","tag-his-good-goalkicking-record","tag-his-groins","tag-his-hand","tag-his-storm-contract","tag-his-willingness","tag-jamayne-isaako","tag-kalyn-ponga","tag-kangaroos","tag-kangaroos-five-eighth-cameron-munster","tag-kangaroos-goalkicking-duties","tag-last-sunday-munster","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-more-recognised-kickers","tag-munster","tag-my-best","tag-my-manager","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-new-zealand","tag-newswire-sport","tag-next-season","tag-next-year","tag-night","tag-nrl","tag-nrl-expansion-club-papua-new-guinea-chiefs","tag-nrl-teams","tag-october-31","tag-only-our-goalkicking","tag-our-no-1-one-kicker","tag-our-team","tag-part","tag-qld","tag-recent-weeks","tag-reece","tag-reece-walsh","tag-reece-walsh-concerns","tag-reference","tag-reluctant-kicker","tag-rugby-league-world-cup","tag-sam-walker-and-latrell-mitchell","tag-samoa","tag-saturday","tag-shots","tag-some-good-arsenals","tag-speculation","tag-sports","tag-stuff","tag-suncorp-stadium","tag-sunday","tag-the-aim","tag-the-ball","tag-the-best-option","tag-the-boot","tag-the-cook-islands","tag-the-crucial-role","tag-the-end","tag-the-final","tag-the-game","tag-the-job","tag-the-kangaroos","tag-the-kangaroos-five-eighth","tag-the-key","tag-the-kicking-duties","tag-the-mindset","tag-the-opportunity","tag-the-purpose","tag-the-right-team","tag-the-role","tag-the-world-cup","tag-their-32-point-disposal","tag-their-team","tag-those-responsibilities","tag-two-points","tag-world-cup-final","tag-your-flowers","tag-your-way"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=960599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/960599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/960600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=960599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=960599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=960599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}