Lockyer clears air on Slater

MAROONS selector Darren Lockyer has rubbished claims coach Kevin Walters was “rolled” at the selection table as the real reason for Billy Slater’s shock Origin omission emerged.

Queensland’s build-up for Origin I was buffeted by speculation Walters was sensationally overruled by selectors Gene Miles and Lockyer over Queensland’s fullback for the series opener.

Walters choked back tears as he discussed Slater losing out to Darius Boyd on Monday – sparking rumours the Maroons coach was emotional because he wanted the Storm ace as his fullback.

But Lockyer last night said the three-man panel’s verdict on the Boyd-Slater debate was unanimous.

“Kevvie wasn’t rolled, that is off the mark,” Lockyer said.

“All three of us were aligned on that decision.”

News Corp has uncovered why Slater was overlooked.

Statistics played a key role in Boyd retaining the Queensland No.1 jumper.

While Boyd’s incumbency was a natural consideration, Slater’s error-rate and missedtackle count were components.

In nine games this season, Slater has missed 21 tackles, compared with Boyd’s five from 11 matches.

In essence, Slater has missed four times as many tackles as Boyd this season. Some of the misses in video analysis were attributed to technical flaws as Slater, perhaps unwittingly, moved to protect his reconstructed shoulder.

Queensland selectors were also mindful of Boyd’s low mistake rate.

The Broncos skipper has made four errors this season, Slater has registered 11.