Slater out to bury his horrors of 2008 final

BILLY Slater has revealed he is treating Saturday night’s World Cup final against England as his Test farewell as he seeks ultimate redemption for his Suncorp brain explosion.

Slater is widely regarded as the greatest fullback in rugby league’s 109-year history and he will surpass Queensland icon Arthur Beetson with his 30th Test in the World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium.

For Slater, it marks a return to the scene of his Test nadir nine years ago, when he produced the uncharacteristic blunder which rocked Australia in their 2008 World Cup final loss to New Zealand.

Trailing 18-16 in the 60th minute, Slater was pushed towards the sideline by the Kiwi defence and frantically tossed the ball infield which Benji Marshall pounced on to score the easiest try of his career.

The underdog Kiwis went on to complete a 34-20 boilover and a shattered Slater – then in his rookie year as a Test footballer – was blamed for costing Australia the World Cup.

The champion No. 1 has since produced a stream of matchwinning plays for Melbourne, Queensland and Australia and insists he is no longer burdened by his biggame gaffe.

“I’m over it now,” Slater said. “For me, as a footy player, you have to move on pretty quick. You have to if you are going to be successful in the future.

“There’s a saying that they are only mistakes if you don’t learn from them. I can’t change the past. I’ve lost grand finals too and they aren’t much fun either. But I know I’ve learned from my mistakes.”