Darwin stink: Cameron Munster (centre) and Ben Hunt (right) had a reported altercation at the Rugby League World Cup last year. Credit:Dan Himbrechts Munster still went out on his own in Brisbane following the dust-up in Darwin. The Kangaroos leaders were not impressed that he didn't understand the opportunity he had been given and he didn't buy into the "rise" concept (respect, inspire, selfless, excellence) that has been driven by the Kangaroos leaders. I've been told Munster was given the cold shoulder by members of the leadership group. This column is all for having characters in the game and I have had no problems with Munster. However, those who have seen him on the drink say he has an aggressive streak. Witness the Hunt drama.

The problem for the Kangaroos is that Munster is an out-and-out superstar. There was talk of an "intervention" involving Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga. "Yeah, we had a talk," Meninga said. "I know that he was regretful and he said he was an idiot. I explained to him that we have all been there at some point and that you can turn it around. I told him about me at a similar age and I hope that he listened. Only he knows that." Meninga learnt about Munster's colourful history with the Storm after the Hunt incident. League is littered with players who had ability but an attitude problem and it would be wrong to write off Munster. In the end, it may not be the view of the coach that matters: his peers may determine his future. Joey and Matty go head-to-head

This year's Thursday night footy shows on Nine and Fox will pit the Johns brothers against each other. While Channel Nine's new-look Footy Show has been trumpeting the signing of the well-credentialed Ryan Girdler, it is the regular appearance of Andrew Johns that is considered a real bonus. Of the modern-day players, Andrew is without peer as an analyst of the game. His strong views on Origin put him in the Phil Gould class last year. Matthew Johns is a quality all-round host who is able to mix strong opinions with liberal doses of humour. Which was obvious when asked about taking on his brother. "Andrew Johns? Who's that?" Andy O'Brien is the new head of the Footy Show. He used to be Matthew's boss at Fox Sports. "You may bill it as Matty and Joey going head-to-head, however that is not really the case," O'Brien said. "Matty is an incredibly unique and strategic conceptualiser who reads and understands halves play intimately. To complement that, he is a great story teller. But Joey is the eighth Immortal. No one played football like Joey and no one sees football like Andrew Johns sees football. That's a fact.

Ratings battle: Matt Johns with Gorden Tallis on Fox. He will now go head to head against brother Andrew. Credit:Fox Sports "I quote Ricky Stuart when talking about Andrew coming into the 2005 NSW Origin side. The Maroons had won game one courtesy of a last-minute Matt Bowen intercept and Andrew was called into the side for game two. Andrew ran his first ball-work session with the team at Woollahra Oval, after which Ricky said he'd never been involved in a training session where the tempo and intensity rose so much because of one player. He lifted the whole session and he lifted individual performances to peak and that was just a training session. The Blues went on to win games two and three, and the series." The Footy Show will be hosted by Erin Molan, who is stepping into the shoes of Paul Vautin, the man who was the show. Party's over There has been plenty of speculation about the impact that Ray Dib's departure will have on the Bulldogs playing group because of his connection to third-party sponsors at the club.

The obvious concerns would be the big signings Dib orchestrated last year: Kieran Foran and Aaron Woods. This column has been assured that neither Foran nor Woods have third-party deals with the club. Dib's view was that the Bulldogs needed to move away from such deals as the higher salary cap should be more than enough to accommodate players' wages. The last thing that either Foran or Woods needs this year is a new drama to deal with. Both players have spent months in the spotlight. Foran enters the season as the most under-pressure player in the game. He was good enough to be the face of the game a couple of seasons back, but his off-field issues, combined with a $1 million salary at one of Sydney's biggest clubs, puts him in the sharpest focus. His response will be fascinating to watch. House of cards Which high-profile signing is unhappy with his new accommodation. He's asked his club to be relocated to a home closer to the local casino.

Sharks jack of it Jack Bird's declaration that he will be playing in the centres for the Broncos has gone down very badly with players at Cronulla. They were under the impression Bird left because he wanted to get his hands on the ball and was after a start at lock or five-eighth. Unless Josh McGuire is pushed out of lock and into the front row, Bird may be stuck at right centre because James Roberts wants to move into left centre. Bird has been criticised for his physique and he says having excess weight won't be a problem. His view is that it won't matter in the centres. T-Rex gets off light

People at Parramatta think Tony Williams (left) got off lightly for his drink-driving offence. Williams was driving his car erratically with his wife and three kids on board and members of the public called the police. Williams admitted in court he'd had 10 beers and several vodka shots under his belt, which led to a blood-alcohol reading of 0.122. Hisone-year driving ban and $1000 fine was bulked up by a two-game ban from Parramatta. The Eels think he was fortunate not to get a longer licence suspension. From a football perspective, the Eels could have gone harder and given him a month or two on the sidelines. That would have been closer to an acceptable penalty. Triple jump Dan Ginnane's sudden departure from Triple M's drive time show shocked many in the industry. He even missed out on a co-hosting role with Mark Geyer as the show reinvents itself. Ginnane's bright and breezy style would have been a complement to Geyer's strong views.

If there was no issue between the pair, it's hard to understand why Ginnane was moved away from the program altogether. Geyer will grow into his role. Ginnane is learning the ropes at Fox Sports and will still call games on Triple M on weekends. Blues brothers Brad Fittler and Boyd Cordner had a good 20 minutes together as Blues coach and captain at the launch of the Hogs for the Homeless at the Terrey Hills Tavern. After last year's disaster, their bond is vital. Billy not idle Billy "The Kid" Slater has not rested since his stellar 2017 season, where he played in a winning Origin side, collected an NRL premiership ring and was part of Australia's World Cup-winning side.

Slater has been running a program called Billy's Buddies, which is non-contact rugby league for two- to six-year-olds throughout Queensland for the past two years. Slater is now expanding Billy's Buddies into NSW, launching this month. "I am passionate about encouraging kids to move from a young age and Billy's Buddies teaches non-contact rugby league and sports for all kids in a fun, healthy and safe environment," Slater said. "I love rugby league and if I can encourage kids to get moving, socialise, have some fun and pick up some skills, then that puts a smile on my face." Loading See billysbuddies.com.au. ■Danny Weidler is a reporter with Channel Nine news