Billy’s bowing out without any regrets
BILLY Slater is more than satisfied with his farewell to Origin, bowing out with a win and captaining Queensland for the first time.
And the star fullback confirmed after the game that he was not having any second thoughts over his representative retirement.
Slater, who wore his Game Three jersey until 9am yester- day, said he was never going to backtrack on his decision, regardless of whether Queensland won or lost Origin III.
“I was walking away anyway,” Slater said. “We got what we deserved (on Wednesday).
“I’ve always been confident in what I can bring to a team and confident in my ability.
“I just wanted to go out there and do the best I can for my team.
“I felt like I did that.
“It was really important to me to come out and help deliver that winning feeling for these guys.
“These guys have put in a lot of effort and to run out as captain, I’m really grateful for this opportunity.
“Queensland’s in a really good position and that excites me. There’s a bright future for us.”
In his 31 games for Queensland and 30 appearances for Australia, Slater has achieved plenty.
When asked what he wanted his lasting legacy to be, the 35-year-old picked out a few of his representative highlights.
Included among them was his famous try in Game Two of the Origin series in 2004 and his effort to return to the state and international levels last year after two shoulder reconstructions.
But overall Slater wanted to be remembered as a true Queenslander who never gave up.
“You can’t predict what your legacy is,” he said.
“Someone else will make that up. I’d like to think that (I’m seen as) just a typical Queenslander.
“We’re all the same up here. We never give up, we do our best and look after our mates.
“That’s what I’d like to be remembered by.”