Cameron Munster put on another masterclass at fullback on Thursday night in a 16-0 win over Penrith and earned plenty of praise, along with a cheeky dig, from teammate Brandon Smith.
speaking to Triple Mpost-game, Smith was at his hilarious best in what James Graham described as a “refreshing” interview from the Melbourne Storm forward.
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“He’s [Munster] as thick as pig s***,” Smith laughed.
“He’s the dumbest bloke in the world but when he gets on the field, he’s a genius. It’s outstanding. I’m glad I’m playing with him and not against him. He’s the most annoying bloke on planet earth but he’s one of my good mates so you’ve got to love him.”
As impressive as Munster was, Smith himself was key to the win, helping Melbourne dominate up front and allowing its playmakers to work their magic in the red zone.
Smith said that it was all part of the plan for the Storm, who had a relatively simple strategy for Thursday’s night game.
“Our whole game plan was to stay in the fight and let our superstars go and put the points on,” Smith said.
The Storm were able to put 16 on the board in the first half, although they could not breach the Panthers’ line in the second, restricted to just 37 per cent of the ball.
The fact Melbourne was able to hold Penrith (55 tackles in opposition 20) scoreless would have certainly pleased coach Craig Bellamy though.
“I know he’ll be super happy with the zero on the Panthers’ board but still a lot of things we have to work on in attack,” Smith said.
“We had Nick Meaney and Cooper Johns partnering together I think for the first time with Munster at fullback.
“Munster and Justin Olam and Marion Seve, the two centers, deserve massive raps they were outstanding.”
Smith was not just at his cheeky best post-game, also getting under Panthers front rower Spencer Leniu’s skin in the latter stages of the second half as the two sides briefly came together.
“I didn’t say anything,” Smith said of his exchange with Leniu.
“I just pushed him to let him know that… I think it was an accident but still, he hit me in the head and I wasn’t happy.”
“It still bought about 30 seconds off the clock,” he added, laughing, “that was pretty handy.”
“It was a tough game out there tonight. I don’t think I’ve come off the field with these many bumps and bruises.”
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