Bellamy says Slater set standard for fullbacks
MELBOURNE NRL coach Craig Bellamy says Billy Slater is the best fullback he’s seen play the game and that he’s changed the position for the next generation of players.
Slater will join the elite 300 NRL game club against Wests Tigers at AAMI Park on Saturday night after missing the Storm’s opening round win due to a jarred shoulder.
The milestone has been a long time coming with the final 30 games taking over three seasons thanks to two shoulder reconstructions.
“I notched up the first 270 pretty quick but the last three years has been a bit slow, so that makes it that little bit more special,” Slater said yesterday.
Slater started his career at the Storm in 2003 under Bellamy when he arrived during the pre-season to trial for a contract.
The coach said he knew the young Queenslander had something special.
“I’ve been around the game a long time and seen a lot of pre-seasons, and seen a lot of guys who work really hard but I’ve never seen a player put in as much effort as Billy did that pre-season,” Bellamy said.
“He wanted to be an NRL player and that’s come through his whole career – his competitiveness – when he sets his sights on something, he does everything in his power to make that happen.
“He still goes as hard as he went in 2003 and that’s what I’ve always admired about him.”
With a Dally M Player of the Year, two Clive Churchill medals, a Golden Boot and team titles with the Storm, Queensland and Australia, Bellamy says Slater was without peer.
He said it was the 34-yearold’s ability to read the game, his passing prowess and the way he ran through the middle which set him apart.
“There’s a lot of other young fullbacks now following Billy Slater and what he does on the field,” Bellamy said.
And, Bellamy said, there was so much more to Slater.
“People think of the flash, flair and excitement he brings in the way he plays but I’ve never seen a player handle the grind better than Billy.”