Featured Image Credit: Channel 9
Topics: Australia, NRL, Rugby League
Max Sherry
Cameron Munster well and truly shut down Phil 'Gus' Gould during his post-match interview.
The dazzling five-eighth had just masterminded a historic victory for Queensland over New South Wales in State of Origin Game 1 in Sydney.
Munster was at his very best, pulling all the strings to guide his team to a 16-10 win on foreign soil, but if truth be told it was an emphatic team performance from everyone wearing maroon.
It was the No.6, though, who claimed the Man of the Match accolade.
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But when it came round to doing his on-field interview with Channel 9, Munster wasn't going to let anyone - particularly a proud New South Welshman, rain on Queensland's parade.
Former Blues coach desperately tried to rattled Munster by reminding him that the series is far from over, but the man of the hour wasn't having a bar of it.
“In terms of the series, that’s a massive victory to win here in Sydney in game one. You now win game three (in Brisbane) regardless of the game two result and you’ve got that in Queensland,” Gould said.
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But Munster hit back.
“Come on, Gus. Come on, Gus,” he interjected.
“It’s a leg in the door but I remember when we did that, I think a couple of years ago, we won the first game and then lost two in a row so we know the Blues are going to come out there in Perth and play a really good style of footy and chance their arm in the game because they’re obviously down 1-0.”
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To which Gould replied: “I’m just being serious. It’s a massive win in terms of the series.
“Alright, I’ll say it a different way. How good is it to win game one?”
Munster giggled to himself.
“Yeah it’s outstanding, we needed to do it,” he simply added.
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We're all aware of what Gus was trying to do in deflecting from the pressure that the Blues will be feeling this morning onto the shoulders of their inter-state rivals in the north.
But to be fair to Munster, he could see right through it.
Interestingly enough, only one side this century has gone on to win the Origin series after losing their first game with home-ground advantage.
Yep, Queensland in 2017 under a leadership of a certain Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and - oh - current Maroons head coach Billy Slater.