Full Steam Ahead

                          Jackie Epstein - Sunday Herald Sun - March 11, 2007

STORM star Billy Slater's greatest match has little to do with tonight's National Rugby League grand final.

Melbourne Storm full-back Billy Slater has cast aside the personal demons of last year and is ready to win back his Origin jersey.

Slater, who lost his Queensland spot and was suspended for a total of 11 weeks, is intent on rediscovering the form that catapulted him to national stardom.

The 23-year-old said he was due a change of fortune as the team aimed to go a step further to win the premiership.

Storm kicks off its season against the Tigers at Olympic Park on Friday night.

"Probably the last year and a half hasn't been my best time," Slater said.

"Getting dropped from State-of-Origin and the year I had last year . . . I'm really trying to get myself back into representative football.

"It didn't go to plan but I feel like I've been playing pretty well in the trials and feel more comfortable.

"Hopefully I can set some goals and if we're playing good enough football, and I am, at the time of selection, hopefully my name will be thrown around a little bit."

Slater has had one of his toughest pre-seasons, on and off the track, with the sudden death of girlfriend Nicole's father.

Within the team structure he has been freed up through the move of Greg Inglis to five-eighth.

He said he was likely to rotate in the hooker position.

"My season this year will probably be a little bit different to those I've played the last few seasons," he said.

"We're getting shifted around a bit, with Greg going to five-eight, and we've got to adapt to his style of play. I've been shifted into hooker every now and again to give Cam Smith a bit of a rest.

"That just adds to our game and makes us better players if we can adapt to different positions. If I know what Cam Smith is thinking at times, that might help me when I'm at full-back as well.

Slater, who recently signed a new three-year deal, said grand predictions that the team was a certainty to claim the premiership had not fazed the players.

While conceding Storm's squad was the strongest in the league, he warned against inflated expectations.

 

  back to top