Billy's Best Score The only way is up
BILLY Slater had the rugby league world at his feet. Slater readily admits the past eight weeks have been the toughest of his career. He said only the support of team-mates and girlfriend, Nicole Rose, had got him through it. "I don't think it really sank in until I got back from a week off and started training again and I wasn't training with the boys," Slater said. Slater and Rose, an aspiring artist and make-up artist, have been friends for many years. They met as children riding horses at Pony Club in far north Queensland. The pair had lost touch until a chance meeting in Cairns early last year. "It was funny because I didn't even know Billy was playing football," Rose said. "He'd done his famous Origin thing (a spectacular solo try rated as one of the best in Origin history) the year before, but I had no idea. "He was always pretty cool and down to earth and I was keen to catch up when he called. I remember he walked down the driveway and I thought, 'Gee Billy has bulked up a bit'. I then asked him what he did and he said he was playing footy. "It wasn't until we started to speak a bit more on the phone and I spoke to some friends and they all knew who he was that I realised he was famous." Since moving to Melbourne in December, Rose has started to take more of an interest in rugby league. But Slater said it was refreshing, particularly during his suspension, to be able to escape the game at home. "I think it's important to have someone in your life that sees you as a person and not as a footballer," Slater said. "Nicole couldn't care less that I play footy and having her down here made it a lot easier for me. "We have different interests outside of football, which is great. She is a really talented artist. She has her own website (www.nicoleroseart.com.au) and is really going places."
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