Billy Slater

[Bullucked]

Slater was and will always be a champion, maybe WILL always be our best fullback (only time will tell) but at this moment in time, and that is what's the most important, the best will and should always be what's done for the team. I suggest only the coaches and players will know the answer to this.

I don't want to see Billy Slater retire but I also do not want to see him pushing himself around the park in a wheelchair just so he can "go out on his own terms".
If Mr Bond, of the Sean Connery type (aka Cameron Smith) starts to lose his smarts and abilities and we had someone tapping him on the shoulder would people on here say he should be leaving on his own terms just because he was a champion? (I don't mean anything bad by saying 'just a champion', there will never ever be another Cameron Smith, I don't think there will ever be anyone ever worthy of standing down breeze of him and smelling his passing wind).

[Deadpool]

So Slater has been in full contact training for a while now. I'm gunna go out on a limb and say he will play round 1

[Danger D]

I don't want to see Billy Slater retire but I also do not want to see him pushing himself around the park in a wheelchair just so he can "go out on his own terms".

I guess I just don't see this as him going out on his own terms in that I don't think he would want it to get to that stage and would pull the trigger if he felt he wasn't up to the mark.

But I agree with the sentiment that it wouldn't be good to see Billy running around in a condition significantly below his best.

[blazza18]

Meanwhile the comeback plans of champion fullback Billy Slater have stalled again.

He has been ruled out of the trial against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Hobart and could miss the opening rounds of the competition.

“We’d hoped Billy might play in this final trial,” Ponissi said, “but he’s still got a bit of work to do.

“We’d rather wait a couple of weeks to be totally sure.

“The aim now is to have him back in the first month of the competition.

[storminghome]

Oh FFS!!!!

[nacho]

I'm telling you, Billy won't play until we come up against a team with a small-ish pack (as small as you can get in the NRL these days) and tactics that don't include late hits or hits from behind.

Going to go out on a limb and say he wont play until we face Manly

[RobbieRoss]

I wonder if Billy might be looking at our first home game - round 3 against the Broncos - for his return. It certainly would amp up the publicity. I just hope he makes it back and makes it through the season.

[Mattpoet]

I'm telling you, Billy won't play until we come up against a team with a small-ish pack (as small as you can get in the NRL these days) and tactics that don't include late hits or hits from behind.

Going to go out on a limb and say he wont play until we face Manly

You just contradicted yourself, Manly invented cheap shots.

[nacho]

I'm telling you, Billy won't play until we come up against a team with a small-ish pack (as small as you can get in the NRL these days) and tactics that don't include late hits or hits from behind.

Going to go out on a limb and say he wont play until we face Manly

You just contradicted yourself, Manly invented cheap shots.

That manly is dead and gone. The manly we see now has no sting in their attack or defence

[yourhero]

I seriously doubt that is the plan... If it is, you might as well put the final nail in the coffin of his illustrious career right now. You can’t hide on the RL field.

[coupy73]

Maybe with the rise of Croft, Bellamy thinks that having Munster back at full back and croft in the halves, this is our strongest team. if Slater is not 100% then Bellamy might actually be leaving him out in preference to others

[storminghome]

Seriously how can Slater not be ready to play??. He has had 12 months to recover

[yourhero]

Seriously how can Slater not be ready to play??. He has had 12 months to recover

I am with you there. If it's not ready now, I'm not sure an extra week or two is going to help at all.

However, reading between the lines from what has been said by our staff, Slater's shoulder is good to go from a recovery perspective and the delay is more about Billy getting his own confidence in it. The only way that is going to come is through more and more contact and real game conditions.

[coupy73]

Seriously how can Slater not be ready to play??. He has had 12 months to recover

I am with you there. If it's not ready now, I'm not sure an extra week or two is going to help at all.

However, reading between the lines from what has been said by our staff, Slater's shoulder is good to go from a recovery perspective and the delay is more about Billy getting his own confidence in it. The only way that is going to come is through more and more contact and real game conditions.

Should the coaching staff consider playing him in one of the feeder teams then, I know billy is a legend but if he needs to get used to contact and the speed of the game again?

[yourhero]

I think that would be a wise decision personally. Even if they only play him for 20 mins each half. Something to get used to the contact is better than a 50-70% training effort.

He will go from no full contact to 80mins in the toughest competition possible, where people will be targeting him and bumping him at every opportunity.

I think it is a smart play. His immense standing in the game is irrelevant and unaffected by a part time effort/s in the QLD Cup.