CAMERON MUNSTER DROPS MAJOR RETIREMENT HINT AFTER GRAND FINAL HEARTACHE

Cameron Munster has claimed he may only have ‘two or three more years’ left playing at the top level, as the Melbourne Storm star insisted that he ‘wanted to retire on his own terms’.

Melbourne have also lost a few of their most experienced stars during the off-season, with Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona both departing the club. Storm second-row, Eliesa Katoa, will also miss the upcoming 2026 season due to concussion injuries.  

Despite adding that he will likely be looking to retire in the coming years, Munster believes that the future is still bright for the Victorian NRL club.

'I'm 32 this year,' Munster told Nine.

'Hopefully, [I have] two or three more years [left in my body].’

The one-club man joined the Storm in 2014 and has gone on to return 61 tries across a whopping 236 appearances for Melbourne.

Munster has also battled through some tough injuries in recent years, notably missing a big chunk of the 2024 season due to an adductor tendon injury.

‘I don't want to be playing until 36 and getting wheeled out,’ the Maroons skipper added.

‘You may as well leave when you can and retire on your own terms.

'A lot of athletes have had the chance of not being able to do that because of injuries.

‘I want to be able to retire on my own terms - two or three years is probably realistic.'

The 32-year-old five-eighth has played an important role in the club’s recent history, with Munster having won two premierships with the Storm.

But he added that his side’s recent grand-final near misses have left a ‘sour taste in the mouth’, with the Storm having been bested by the Panthers in 2024, before suffering another Grand Final defeat against the Brisbane Broncos in October last year.

'Obviously, last year was pretty disappointing. But I'm sure a lot of the NRL teams would have loved to have been in back-to-back grand finals,' he said.

'It's a bit of a sour taste in the mouth losing both of them, but being in the grand final is something special and hopefully we can do something special again this year.

'It's obviously mentally draining at times, you do so much work in the pre-season to be able to get to that moment... but unfortunately, we've fallen short.’

Last week, Munster and team-mate Jahrome Hughes sat down with Papenhuyzen to speak about his decision to step away from playing professional rugby league.

The full-back told the One Six Seven Podcast: ‘I think I have retired.’

He revealed that a head injury sustained during a match against the Broncos late in the season was the main reason why he decided to step away from rugby league.

Papenhuyzen added: ‘I don't think I've ever really cried in front of you boys, but I was in the sheds trying to hide it.

‘In that moment, it was kind of like, what am I doing? At what cost do you play footy for? I just had one of those moments.’

Even after suffering defeat by the Broncos in the Grand Final, Papenhuyzen said the anguish of that defeat did not change his stance on walking away from the game. He even revealed that a potential move to the new breakaway R360 league had crossed his desk - an opportunity he appears to have turned down.

‘We had discussions (about) walking away from something quite lucrative and not going to have that security, but at what cost? My health is something I really prioritise,’ he said.

‘I had to look within and if it's not serving its purpose anymore... that was my big realisation.’

Papenhuyzen then revealed that even though walking away was tough, he had realised his new purpose: ‘Helping people. In what capacity? I love psychology and I guess I love new experiences. So what can I channel that into?’

Speaking to Nine on Papenhuyzen’s Storm departure, Munster said: 'Losing Paps [Ryan Papenhuyzen] and Nelson [Asofa-Solomona] and then it's unfortunate with Eli's [Katoa] condition, we've lost a little bit of experience there.

'These young boys that are coming through has been pretty special… there's some hungry blokes in our squad pushing for spots.

'I think the future is bright in Melbourne.'

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2026-02-02T13:46:15Z