NRL ways work in AFL: Slater

HE’S never played an AFL game but rugby league great Billy Slater believes he has plenty to offer the rival code after joining St Kilda in a leadership development role.

The underperforming Saints pounced on Slater after his retirement from the Melbourne Storm and he will begin working two days a week during the pre-season.

Slater isn’t cutting ties with rugby league altogether — still working with the Storm in a specialist coaching role.

The 35-year-old says he will look to impart his knowledge to St Kilda about standards, professionalism and match preparation to create a winning culture similar to that at the hugely successful Storm.

“I don’t understand AFL and I don’t come here as a specialist AFL coach,” Slater said. “I think there’s a correlation between the two codes and we can certainly draw some parallels.

“The specifics of the skills of the game are different but at the end of the day we’re a team trying to strive for one goal — it’s about a group of guys trying to work hard and be selfless and I don’t think that changes just because it’s a different code.”

Slater felt the leadership qualities he learnt in 16 seasons in the NRL were transferable to AFL, proven in reverse with former Collingwood premiership captain Nick Maxwell’s work with the Storm.