FINALS FIRST, THEN BILLY WILL DECIDE ON HIS FUTURE
AFTER missing Melbourne’s past two years of NRL finals through injury, Billy Slater will not let a decision about his playing future cloud Friday night’s preliminary final against Brisbane.
The match could be Slater’s last Storm game at AAMI Park if he decides to retire, but the 34-year-old says it hasn’t affected the timing of his decision.
Due to two shoulder reconstructions, he had spent the past two years in the coaching box and said, this year, he was determined to soak up every ounce of finals’ fever.
“I’m just really enjoying the opportunity I’ve got in front of me because, in the last two years during the finals, I’ve been wearing a suit,” Slater said yesterday.
“I’m really living in the now and not worrying about what happens next year and I will make a decision when I make it.”
Brisbane skipper Darius Boyd is set to return from two weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Slater said his inclusion was massive for the Broncos. “They won last week when they had injuries so they will gain a lot of confidence out of that and, if they get Darius back, it’s a huge boost for them,” Slater said.
“He’s a tremendous player and probably the mostimportant player in their team, certainly structurally in defence.”
Halfback Cooper Cronk is also still to make a call on his playing future but the grand final qualifier will definitely be his last with the Storm in Melbourne after announcing mid-season plans to move to Sydney.
Forwards Jordan McLean and Tohu Harris are also leaving Melbourne for other NRL clubs.
Slater said it was important to send those players out on a winning note but it wasn’t the main motivation.
“There’s a lot at stake this weekend, and sending them out from AAMI Park on a good note is important to us but we’ve worked really hard for the last 11 months and we’re now 80 minutes and a good performance away from a grand final.”