Billy deserves glorious finish

BILLY Slater. Rugby league legend. One of the best, if not the best fullback in the game.

Loyal. He has played his entire NRL career with Melbourne Storm.

Top try scorer. 190 tries and second behind the great Ken Irvine.

Humble. Has never forgotten his grassroots, junior rugby league nor his home town of Innisfail.

A family man. Calls his best mate and dad Ron every day. Rushed to be by his side after he was flown to Cairns Hospital and placed in a coma with emphysema late last month.

Loving husband and father. Married to Nicole since 2009, lives In Melbourne. They have two children Tyla Rose and Jake.

A couple of years ago I was travelling back from Bali on the same flight as the Slater family.

I was sitting at the rear of the plane and the Slaters were opposite.

He had deliberately chosen seats away from the gaze of other passengers.

At first, I wasn’t sure it was him. We acknowledged each other with just a nod of the head. No words were spoken.

I glanced across now and then and saw a typical Aussie father trying to keep his kids happy on the boring flight home.

There is nothing pretentious about one of league’s biggest stars.

Billy will be under a lot of pressure tomorrow after an arduous start to the week when he faced the NRL judiciary on a charge of a dangerous shoulder charge. He was cleared.

Much is expected of Billy in the swansong of his illustrious career in the grand final against Sydney Roosters.

May the Storm win tomorrow. Nick Dalton Deputy editor