‘I know he’s coming’: Cam Munster ready for another physical confrontation with Roosters’ bruiser JWH

Cameron Munster knows Sydney Roosters enforcer Jarred Waerea-Hargreaves is coming for him in Friday night’s NRL grand final qualifier and says he is ready for it.

The star Melbourne playmaker has long been a target of the firebrand prop, with his jersey torn from a 2016 altercation with Munster.

Ahead of the preliminary final at AAMI Park, Munster said they knew they would be targets again.

“It’s Jared being Jared – I’m not going to overstate it, I know he’s coming on this Friday,” Munster said at the team’s media day in Melbourne on Tuesday.

“It’s rugby league, it’s a contact sport and you don’t play it as touch football, so I know what I’m there for and I know what he’s going to bring. I’m ready for the battle, I’m excited for it.

“We are just one match away from the opportunity to make history as a team and we all know what is at stake.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of aggression on Friday night and it’ll just depend on who can control it the best.”

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Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona also has an acrimonious relationship with his Kiwi teammate Waerea-Hargreaves and hasn’t appeared in the media because he wasn’t prepared to add fuel to the fire.

Melbourne captain Harry Grant said he hoped Asofa-Solomona would not play out of emotion, with the match likely to be Waerea-Hargreaves’ last in the NRL as he will move to play in the UK.

“Nelson is very important to our team and we want him to be on the pitch as long as possible, we don’t want him to be in the sin-bin or giving away penalties,” Grant said.

(Matt King/Getty Images)

“But the way he has worked over the last few months, he has become so mature and experienced that I don’t think Nelson will be interested or need to be involved.”

Melbourne duo Munster and Jahrom Hughes will face a new pairing that includes 21-year-old Sandon Smith along with experienced Rooster Luke Keary.

It was Smith’s fourth start this year and his 10th overall in the NRL, with Munster saying it was hard to know what the youngster would be able to do in such an important game.

But he could see similarities between Smith and his replacement, injured halfback Sam Walker.

“He (Smith) has only featured in a couple of games, it’s hard to say what he’ll be able to bring,” said Munster, 30, who is doing extra wrestling to keep his back problem fit for the finals campaign.

“He seems like one of those kids who’s a bit like Sammy Walker; he’s instinctive, quick, good on his feet, can probably make things that some people can’t.

Cameron Munster is tackled. (Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“Sometimes when you play against players like Nathan Cleary, Nico Hines, you know their qualities or the things they do in the game, but you haven’t seen Sandon Smith really play that well, so you’ve got to go out there and be aware.”

Sharks’ Braley knows his running game is a key weapon against the Panthers

Blakey Breailey has heard some frightening statistics linking his running game to Cronulla’s win rate once he steps out from dummy-half.

Of the 16 matches in which he has rushed for more than 30 metres this season, the Sharks have won 87 per cent.

And of the 10 games in which he hasn’t scored much as a dummy-half, Cronulla have won only three.

“My partner actually saw it somewhere and told me about it,” Braley said.

“This was a statistic I didn’t know about, it’s really interesting.”

In theory, Breailey’s dummy-half run makes a lot of sense.

When the hooker is able to step out, it also gives Nico Hines and Brayden Trindall a chance to play on the front foot.

Blake Braley is tackled. (Photo: Jason McCauley/Getty Images)

But in reality, Braley doesn’t believe it’s as simple as just trying to run more.

“I think running requires some parts to move,” he said.

“I’m not just going to play slow ball, because if you look at me, I’m not the biggest guy.

“But I know once our middles get on a roll and I start running, it takes the pressure off the halves and they start running as well.

“It’s definitely a goal of mine to run as much as I can every week. I know running will be better for my game.

“And I know it helps the team as well. Being the washing machine in the middle is quite tiring, so if I can run that it takes some of the pressure off us middle guys.”

Brailey had a unique preparation for Saturday night’s preliminary final against Penrith.