Wests Tigers have asked to be kept abreast of developments with Cameron Munster as they vow to do their very best to beat any offer he gets from rival clubs to leave the Melbourne Storm.
Tigers head coach Tim Sheens confirmed to Confidential that he had reached out to Munster’s camp and let them know that the Tigers wanted to be kept up to date with developments on contract talks with the Maroons State of Origin star.
Sheens stressed that the Tigers would only make a formal offer if their interest was reciprocated. However, it shows that Sheens and his assistants Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah are aiming high as they look to rebuild the club.
Tigers supporters can take solace in the fact that their coaching brain’s trust won’t settle for mediocrity when it comes to new signings.
Munster is expected to make a decision next week on whether he will accept a lucrative offer from the Storm or head of the open market.
He will have no shortage of suitors including the cashed-up Tigers, who are flushed with salary cap space at the end of next season given Luke Brooks, Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings are among the players coming off contract at the end of 2023.
Munster is about to enter the final year of his deal with Melbourne and can officially sign with a rival club on November 1.
“We will be competitive with the best price that he gets offered,” Sheens said.
“In saying that, I don’t know what he has been offered. I have not put a figure on the table. I have said if he is interested in us, we will do our best to match or beat any offer but he has to be interested in us in the first place. If he is not, then it is a non-event.”
Munster has a lucrative three-year extension on the table from the Storm, who upped their offer to make it more competitive with interest from elsewhere.
The Dolphins have been leading the chase for Munster for some time, having spoken about a four-year term believed to be worth up to $1.4 million a season.
The Tigers want to be at the table as well as they look to match any offer Munster gets from elsewhere. The Tigers have also tabled an extension to halfback Luke Brooks, although Newcastle continue to circle the No.7 (DT)