Retiring on his terms
BILLY Slater has revealed he turned down a plea from Storm coach Craig Bellamy to extend his NRL career, rejecting one final contract because of fears he could ruin his remarkable legacy.
As he prepares for his final Storm home game in tonight’s preliminary final against Cronulla, Slater opened up about his decision to resist Bellamy’s request for a Melbourne swansong in 2019.
The champion fullback plays his 318th NRL game against the Sharks tonight in what he hopes is his penultimate match before a dream premiership farewell on Sunday week at ANZ Stadium.
But if Bellamy got his wish, the re- tiring Queensland Origin ace would have been wearing Storm colours alongside Cameron Smith next season.
On the eve of his fullback duel with Maroons teammate Valentine Holmes at AAMI Park, Slater spoke of his heart-to-heart with Bellamy and why he knocked back a 12month extension.
“The truth is Craig Bellamy actually wanted me to go on,” said Slater, who announced his retirement last month.
“Craig was the one bloke who hoped I would play on.
“To be honest, I feel so good at the moment that I believe, physically, I could play on in 2019.
“As I weighed up my future, I consulted a few people. Craig was one of them. He told me he wanted me to go around next year. Craig said you should play until you can’t play no more.
“Craig played first grade himself and I guess his philosophy is that you are a long-time retired in this game.
“For a few months, I kept waiting for that little person to tap me on the shoulder and tell me I’m doing the wrong, that I shouldn’t be retiring.
“I explained to Craig what I was thinking. He probably didn’t look at it from my perspective, but in the end, he respected how I felt.
“Right now, I’m confident I’ve made the right decision.”
Bellamy believes Slater, for all his seasons of magical consistency, is now in career-best form at age 35.