Slater; the Artful Dodge

September 9, 2006

After a season that has been blighted by bans, the finals series is a blank canvas for mercurial Storm star Billy Slater, writes Roy Masters.

BILLY Slater is a character of contradictions. A high-risk player, the Melbourne Storm fullback is capable of moments of mayhem and magic. His brain explosions detonate blow-ups in coach Craig Bellamy that can be measured in megatons. Against the Sea Eagles last week at Olympic Park, Slater played soft in defence but sharp in attack, delivering the final pass for two tries.

"He's that sort of player." Bellamy, the 2006 Dally M coach of the year, said. "A couple of messages went out when he made critical mistakes. A couple of times a few pens went flying. But a couple of times I stood in the coach's box and applauded. You take the good with the bad with Billy."

An instinctive player, it could have been assumed that Slater simply closes his eyes in video sessions lest vision of opponents deters his natural gifts. After all, impulses with Billy bypass the brain, travelling straight from hand to foot. Organisational players, such as teammate and Dally M halfback of the year Cooper Cronk, tend to be more attentive video watchers.

However, Bellamy insists: "Billy wants a lot of information. He watches a lot of footy. He says things in team meetings about opposition tactics. He knows nothing about the interest rate rising or the war in Lebanon … he wouldn't have a clue. But ask him about footy and he'll give good answers."

Slater believes he is both an organising and an instinctive player. "I'm a bit of both." he said. "Sometimes I don't want to know about the opposition. I look at the last two games of the team we are playing and concentrate on their kickers and their line breaks.

"I like to see if they are left or right-foot kickers, whether they kick on the first tackle and where they are on the field when they break the line. But sometimes I start looking too much and I get away from my instinctiveness."

If his partner, Nicole, had her way - which she often does - Slater would only watch one game at a time. "She doesn't like me sitting down and watching footy." said Slater while an NRL game played mutely on a big screen in the living room of the couple's Richmond cottage, which they share with a pug dog called Puggles.

Nicole, listening to the interview from an adjacent bedroom converted into an artist's studio, said: "I can handle him watching one game, but not two."

Nicole Rose is a gifted artist who counts Delta Goodrem and Gorden Tallis among her customers. Dally M player of the year Cameron Smith purchased one of the most expensive works - a wall-size portrayal of the Twelve Apostles, the rocky outcrops along the southern Victorian coastline.

Billy's favourite is a three-piece abstract work featuring a horse with the No.6 saddle cloth. It was Nicole's Christmas present to him and captures his love of racing, colour and speed.

The pair were friends as 15-year-olds, members of the same pony club in Innisfail, but drifted apart, Slater spending six months working in the stables of Gai Waterhouse before signing with the Storm.

"He has a few favourite numbers, and six is one," said Nicole of Slater's daily habit of taking trifectas with 1, 4, 6 and 9 and watching the races.

But his abstract, which sits above the TV screen, diverts his interest from the football and horses.

"He is very protective of his painting." she said. "I put a pink line through it while he was away one weekend. He came back and said, 'Don't change my painting' - so I had to paint it back."

Maybe Slater's kaleidoscope view of the field from fullback gives him a sense of perspective, like someone standing back and appreciating a pointillist painting, head cocked to one side while making sense of all the dots.

"I might be finishing off a painting for an order and know it needs something," Nicole said. "He says, 'Why don't you put squares in it, like you did for [teammate] Ben Cross', with his painting of a half view of the MCG and a half view of the Yarra. Yep, he's right. That finished it off. Nothing leaves the studio now unless I show Bill."

Slater has also learnt not to sugarcoat his praise. "He's not frightened to tell me if a piece is off." Nicole said. "I can read his facial expressions." It's a skill that has so far eluded everyone else.

Nicole has also sold a piece to Bellamy, saying they are both going through a red period. "He's into red, abstract stuff, while I am obsessed with red at the moment."

Slater's red rag to a bull comes in black, white and gold colours. He has been banned three times for a total of 11 weeks this season, but two suspensions were against Wests Tigers. He has no explanation, saying: "I've got nothing against them."

Of his long ban for kicking John Skandalis in the head in a round-four match, he said: "[It] was frustration. We were getting beaten by a fair bit."

Of his two-match suspension for striking Shannon McDonnell: "I was trying to get him in goal and he surrendered a bit."

He still believes he was harshly treated, saying: "Compare that with [Parramatta's] Luke O'Dwyer, who gets one week after being sent off."

Asked whether he received a rebuke from Bellamy, Slater said: "My goal now is discipline. Last year I had blow-ups with the referee and it's one area where I have improved. When you set your mind to it, you can achieve it."

Bellamy is not so sure Slater believes in the power of mind over muscle, but he deemed his fullback one of the most unselfish athletes he had met.

"When he got the seven-week suspension, he went through the opposition kickers every training session with Greg Inglis," he said.

Nicole agreed. "I said to him when Greg took his place that he'd have trouble getting it back. But he said, 'I stuffed up. Greg's got the spot and I'll give him all the help I can'."

Slater said of his brilliant replacement, now playing centre: "I didn't feel comfortable giving Greggy advice, especially the way he is. I wasn't sure he wanted information from me on how to play fullback, but he was great."

Nicole said: "Billy is not selfish at all. Even this interview. You were talking to him and he handed it over to someone else."

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