Queensland captain Cameron Munster will enter State of Origin camp at his vintage best after inspiring Melbourne to a convincing 34-8 victory over Parramatta at Magic Round. The so-called 'big three' proved the difference on a chaotic Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium, lifting the struggling Storm to their first consecutive wins since Round 2.
Munster shines in Storm revival
Five-eighth Munster played a pivotal role in one of the season's finest tries, scored a four-pointer of his own, and set up both Cooper Clarke and Harry Grant to cross the line. Melbourne will still finish the weekend four points outside the top eight, but their season now appears to have renewed life following a highly publicised seven-game losing streak.
The form of Munster and captain Grant had been a particular concern during the Storm's slump. However, the pair have looked far more like their usual selves in back-to-back wins, much to the relief of Maroons coach Billy Slater ahead of Monday's team announcement.
Slater watches on as Storm sparkle
As Slater watched from the sidelines as part of his Nine Network commentary role, Grant and Munster combined to produce one of 2026's best team tries. Grant spotted the Eels' markers out of position, bursting through the ruck and finding Munster in support. The third member of Melbourne's triumvirate, Jahrome Hughes, wrapped around and triggered a shift to the left that ended with Jack Howarth capping a sparkling 60-metre break.
In the second half, Grant scooted out of dummy half to Hughes, who threw a beautiful flat ball for Munster to stretch onto the line. Munster then cut inside with a short ball to big youngster Clarke, whose try followed a superb 25-metre run earlier in the half. Following a 75-metre tear from the electric Sua Fa'alogo, Munster threw the final pass for Grant to dive over and confirm the Storm's win.
Errors plague both sides
Both sides were sloppy with the ball, combining for 17 errors in the first half alone and finishing with 31 between them. Most notably, Davvy Moale dropped the ball as Melbourne carted back the second-half restart, only for Brian Kelly to return the favour on the Parramatta scrum play that followed. The Eels' clumsy ways made it hard for likely NSW playmaker Mitch Moses to assert himself in his last game before teams are picked.
A candidate for a NSW wing spot, Josh Addo-Carr went scoreless but made a brilliant defensive play, mowing down Moses Leo following the winger's 60-metre dash. He then ankle-tapped Fa'alogo just when the fullback looked certain to score in the second half. Storm winger Leo suffered a knee injury in a tackle from Jack Williams and Saxon Pryke during the second stanza and did not finish the game.
