Stunned Slater named man of Origin series

Even Billy Slater looked stunned when he heard the news. Man of the match? That was at least feasible, although Queensland had some good ones at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

But man of the series? Slater had barely stepped away from the microphone when he was called back. He wasn’t the only one who was stunned when he was named the recipient of the Wally Lewis Medal.

Even the man of the moment conceded he was taken aback by the twin honours.

‘‘I only played two games,’’ he said.

‘‘It was a little bit surprising. I’ve always been confident in what I can bring to a team, and that’s all I want to do. I felt like I did that tonight.

‘‘To have another Wally Lewis Medal in my last game, to lead the boys out as captain, it’s going to be very special.

‘‘This is really special. Wally was a hero while I was growing up. To win this award for the second time will go down as one of my biggest achievements.’’

Slater finished Wednesday night with 136 metres, three line break assists and a try assist.

He also became just the second player after Arthur Beetson to captain an Origin side after his 35th birthday, having been appointed to the role following an injury to Greg Inglis.

NSW had the series wrapped up by the time it came to Suncorp Stadium and a number of their leading lights looked a good bet to be given the honour of being acknowledged as the best player over three games.

James Maloney, Boyd Cordner and James Tedesco came to mind. So did Damien Cook, the Rabbitohs hooker who was excellent again in the 18-12 defeat in Brisbane.

But few, if any, would have picked Slater, especially since he only played the second and third games of the series after missing game one with a hamstring injury.

He was the first player on a losing team to be given the medal, which was first awarded in 2004.

Queensland lost the second and while Slater was good in game three, many thought Daly Cherry-evans was the best on the park as he expertly guided the Maroons to a facesaving win.

The award is picked by Australian selectors Darren Lockyer and Laurie Daley, which input from Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga. They will surely be asked to explain their reasoning given the raft of outstanding performances from the team that won the interstate series.