RIPPED BILLY SET TO GO
IF LOOKS are anything going to go by, Billy Slater is ripped and ready to rock this season.
The star Melbourne fullback continues to play down the hype surrounding his comeback from a careerthreatening shoulder injury, but he was a picture of fitness as he hit the turf at Sunshine Coast Stadium yesterday.
It was thought the Innisfail flyer would play in tonight’s trial clash with the Warriors or next week’s pre-season meeting with the Bulldogs, but earlier this week he revealed he was no certainty to be fit for the season opener.
Storm skipper Cameron Smith dismissed the concerns around Slater however, saying his teammate was just being cautious after he reinjured his shoulder in Round 1 last year in what was supposed to his comeback after originally suf- fering the injury before Origin III in 2015.
“He’ll be back,” Smith said of Slater. “I just don’t think he wants to get too carried away with his return and get people’s hopes up of a certain date or time.
“I can just see with the way he’s been training that there is going to be a time this year where he’ll be back playing … he’s flying at training.
“He’s running really well and doing contact sessions which is a great sign for the team. But the most important thing is we’re not going to rush him back.
“He came back in Round 1 last year and maybe his shoulder wasn’t quite right.
“He’s not going to make that same mistake again.”
If Slater is not right for Round 1, it opens the door for the possibility of Dalby-born playmaker Brodie Croft to earn a starting spot.