Craig Bellamy says Cameron Munster is one of the most naturally gifted players he's coached as the superstar five-eighth prepares to play his 200th NRL game for Melbourne.
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The 29-year-old will be celebrated during the Storm's Saturday clash with Gold Coast, becoming the ninth player to reach the milestone, following in the footsteps of club greats Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk.
Munster's special creative talent on the field is undeniable and a key factor to Melbourne's sustained success since he made his debut back in 2014.
He started his Storm career as a fullback, initially covering the injured Slater, before being moulded into one of the game's best playmakers.
"He sees things that a lot of other people don't on the footy field, and I think that's probably his greatest strength," Bellamy said on Monday.
"Sometimes he's not quite sure what he sees either, but he makes something out of it.
"He's been a real pleasure to coach. It's been interesting at times, but it's been a pleasure to have him around because even in the tough times he finds a way to lighten things up, which is a great trait to have."
As well as being a match-winner, Munster has given Bellamy more grief than most players.
While known as a larrikin, his double sin-binning during the 2018 grand final loss to the Sydney Roosters and the "white powder" scandal in 2021 when his contract was almost torn up were moments of regret.
But he put himself on an alcohol ban for more than a year in 2022 and emerged a mature figure who is set to become a father of three kids under three, with his wife Bianca expecting again.
"He was just living his life as young guys do at times, but being this talented footy player, with a whole heap of talent, he was more in the spotlight," Bellamy said.
"It's wonderful how he has matured, his care for the team and his care about his footy now - he's still looking to improve, even though he's playing State of Origin and played for Australia and for premiership-winning sides.
"He's still got this mentality that he can be better and help the team out more."
From Rockhampton, the Queensland ace has passed up opportunities to play elsewhere, turning his back on a massive offer in 2022 from the Dolphins to remain in Melbourne.
"It means everything to play 200 games with Melbourne," Munster said.
"Coming down here, I was only a kid and I had a lot of opportunities to go elsewhere, but looking back I'm so glad I made the decision to come.
"I learnt a lot, especially from the 'Big Three' (Smith, Slater and Cronk) and from the big fella next to me (Bellamy).
"Everyone laughs about me being his son with that love-hate relationship that we have going on, but I knew deep down that I didn't want to be coached by anybody else.
"I'm trying to get him to stay longer ... I'm grateful to the (club) owners and to Craig for guiding me into the player that I am.
"I've got some rough edges, but generally have massive care for this club."
Australian Associated Press
