And while declaring he would never rush back from a concussion with a “partner and family to worry about”,Murray is confident he will get the all-clear to play in the sudden-death final against bitter rivals the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Cameron Murray has failed his HIA after falling out of the second tackle of the match
Murray confirmed he had a mild headache on Saturday following his against the Sydney Roosters the previous night.
But he passed a concussion test with Souths’ club doctor on Sunday and was symptom-free on Monday. Murray will consult an independent specialist on Tuesday or Wednesday before a potential return to full training on Thursday.
Murray said he had taken time off social media so did not see any footage of him stumbling around in the middle of Allianz Stadium after going low on Kevin Naiqama.
There were similar scenes featuring a groggy Murray in the,and last year’s grand final.
Cameron Murray struggles to his feet on Friday night.Getty
Souths coach Jason Demetriou toldThe Sun-Herald,especially early in games against fresh opposition,but Murray himself came up with his own reasoning behind the spate of head knocks.
“Every time I’ve been concussed it’s been the first tackle I’ve made,” Murray told theHerald. “There’s a little trend there. It’s not a fatigue issue or a bad tackling technique or muscle memory issue,it’s more over-excitement and me being a little bit reckless and over-emotional at the start of games.
“I need to make sure I’m smarter there. Contact is heavier at the start of games and people are moving faster.
“I haven’t seen the images from the other night because I deleted my socials. The last time I got a head knock during the Origin series,I got away from it all,it helped,so I’ve done the same.
“I didn’t lose consciousness. I was a bit fuzzy. I passed the HIA before I left the ground.”
Murray said his priority would always be family. “Health comes first,and as much as I want to play,I have a partner and a family to worry about.
“The protocols are there to look after the players,I’ll abide by them,and if I’m not OK I’m not OK. But I’m pretty confident I’ll play on Sunday.”
Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker tried to inspire a Souths comeback the other night,and Murray loved it.
“There’s always a lot of emotion,especially with Latrell and Cody who are right up there with the most competitive players I’ve played with,” Murray said.
“They want to win and want to play well for their teammates,and with that comes a bit of emotional overspill. It’s who they are,and I love them for it - it makes me want to play with them more because they hate losing.”
Meanwhile,red-faced NRL officials have been forced to issue an apology to Souths members who were denied the chance to buy tickets for Sunday’s blockbuster.
The NRL sent an incorrect code to Souths members,which meant at 10am they were unable to access the sought-after briefs for nearly half an hour before the problem was rectified.
Roosters members had a half-hour head start over their rivals when tickets went on sale on Monday.Wolter Peeters
Souths received more than 500 phone calls demanding to know why they were unable to secure their place inside Allianz Stadium.
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said the NRL were genuine in their apology,and was confident “we’ll still have more members inside the ground by kick-off”.
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