While still contracted to the Storm for another season, the intrigue surrounding the future of white-hot playmaker Cameron Munster refuses to be quelled.
And despite the many comings and goings in Melbourne, as well as the prospect of a sharp decline in earnings beyond the cessation of 2023, there remains a view that the key to keeping the Queenslander in the southern capital lies in Craig Bellamy's palm.
With Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant signing rich deals that have chewed into the Storm's salary cap, Munster is unlikely to be earning seven figures should he remain in purple from 2024 onwards.
At the present, the six-time Kangaroo is currently receiving within the vicinity of $1 million each season from the competition powerhouse - a figure that will almost certainly be bettered or matched should he agree to terms with either the Knights or the Dolphins.
But although the pair of expansion franchises have cast baited hooks in Munster's direction, league pundit and Newcastle premiership player Matthew Johns believes that the stand-off's long-term relationship with Bellamy will act as the catalyst for how the market moves.
"I think in some ways, heโs [Munster] sitting and waiting to see what Craig Bellamy will do. Because I always expected that Craig would coach on for another couple of years but thereโs some people that know Craig pretty well that are starting so suspect he wonโt coach next year," Johns told SEN1170.
โHeโll move into a more senior role, and oversee the club a bit like Alex Ferguson at Manchester United there for a while.
โThe question will be, who will be the next coach?โ
Currently 27-years-of-age, Munster is still well within his prime, and with a sterling output during the Storm's recent victory over the Sharks in mind, Johns believed that the Rockhampton native would still be seeking security from his next deal.
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โFrom Munsterโs end, heโd like to secure three or four years ahead, most players do, but I donโt think thereโs any rush,โ Johns added.
โWhat youโre seeing with Cameron is heโs just getting better and better. If heโd have signed a contract last week before his performance the other night against Cronulla, then he would have cost himself 200 (thousand dollars) a year."
At the present, Munster is currently sitting fifth in Zero Tackle's MVP Award for the 2022 season but is outside of the peloton chasing Dally M honours, with teammates Ryan Papenhuyzen and Hughes earning the lion's share of plaudits.
The mustachioed half and his band of premiership contenders will next face the Warriors at AAMI Park on Monday evening in their annual ANZAC Day clash.
