Cameron Munster may have destroyed his NRL career after earning yet another nomination for The Fronwlow Medal for vaping in the changerooms at the Rugby League World Cup.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while NRL star Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.
Munster celebrated the grand final win over Samoa with a few drinks and a vape, despite the fact that vaping and smoking are banned inside Old Trafford stadium.
Fellow Frownlow nominee Kevin Proctor was sacked by the Gold Coast Titans for exactly the same offence. Proctor was captain of the Titans when he posted footage of himself vaping in a stadium in Australia at half-time. Will Munster be sacked by the Kangaroos or the Storm?
Will the ARL impose any form of punishment on Munster? He is no stranger to controversy or to Fronwlow nominations.
The Melbourne Storm star was first nominated in 2016 and as recently as 2021, when he was involved in a white powder controversy.
Munster and his colleagues are held up as role models to children. A teenage boy almost died from vaping at a school near Sydney in 2022. Will another teenager come close to death after seeing their role model vape in the locker room?
Will Munster vow to give up vaping after this incident? The same way he vowed to give up drinking, before returning to drinking, saying:
“There’s no booze ban now, I just have to be smart enough and old enough to realise when it’s the right time, and to not be an idiot…”
Good to see he’s not being an idiot.
Image: Getty Images
The Frownlow Medal 