Cameron Munster experienced an injury-plagued 2024 campaign for the Melbourne Storm, which ultimately ended in grand final disappointment.
The five-eighth entered into the season under an injury cloud with his first appearance coming in Round 5 against Brisbane.
He then managed to string together six more matches before going down in Magic Round against Parramatta.
The groin issue caused him to miss a significant chunk of the season, as well as the entirety of the State of Origin series.
Munster finally returned at the business end of the season, but he was unable to steer the Storm to their first premiership since 2020 as they lost to Penrith in the decider.
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Will Cameron Munster play in Round 1 after off-season surgery on hip injury?
Following his grand final disappointment, Munster was ruled out of the Pacific Championships as he instead headed into surgery. In his absence, Tom Dearden excelled in the No.6 jersey for the Kangaroos.
However, after successful string of surgeries on his hips, Munster is now gearing up for a much-improved 2025.
"Both my hips have been done, so no groin pain, which is nice," Munster said.
"I'll be ready to go by Round 1, which is myself penciling that in."
The Storm will kick off their new campaign against Parramatta on Sunday, March 9.
Craig Bellamy will no doubt be confident of bagging the two competition points against the Eels as he has an unprecedented winning record for opening round fixtures.
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Yet while Munster has stated his desire to feature in the season-opener on home soil, he admitted he still faced a race against the clock to make the clash.
"I feel good, but I won't be able to run until about February," Munster revealed.
"I'm one of those guys that wants to be out there, bull at a gate and wanting to do everything they can at such a fast pace.
"But I won't be able to do certain things that I want to do...it's going to be a slow process and it's going to be a long process for myself [in the pre-season]."
