How do Melbourne Storm replace the irreplaceable?

Billy Slater now hanging up the boots, leaving Cameron Smith as the last of the 'Big Three' still at Melbourne but with some young guns on the up, do the Storm have what it takes to replace the irreplaceable? For those of us born anything much after 1950 who did not get to witness Clive Churchill live, the mercurial Slater is the best fullback we've ever witnessed – certainly over a long career. Despite turning 35 in the middle of 2018 he was near his best most of the season again, with the club falling one hurdle short of another premiership when downed by Cronk's Roosters in the decider. The logical answer for Bellamy is to leave the halves pairing of Brodie Croft and Cameron Munster intact and give Jahrome Hughes first crack at fullback, with Scott Drinkwater the back-up and Hughes able to provide cover in the halves if needed. Munster had his best season in 2018 (the grand final notwithstanding) and there will be plenty of pressure on he and Smith to do plenty of ball-playing as Croft continues his development but all four will likely need to be at their best to cover the massive gulf Slater leaves behind.

Now it’s time to think about the grand final: Billy Slater cleared by judiciary

Will he or won’t he?It was the story that dominated the week leading up to the 2018 Grand Final and we finally got our answer on September 26 when Billy Slater was cleared to play in the decider.Slater seemed at long odds to get off the grade one shoulder charge, but between the Storm star and renowned lawyer Nick Ghabar, the duo were able to convince the three-man judiciary panel he was not guilty.Fox Sports’ NRL chief reporter James Hooper, who attended the hearing, said Slater “mounted an absolutely brilliant argument”.This article also housed our live blog for updates from the judiciary so it all contributed to it being our biggest story of the year.

'I don't understand AFL': The reason behind Slater's code-switch

A NEW challenge, a new code. Legendary Melbourne Storm fullback Billy Slater is honest when asked about his knowledge of AFL, admitting he doesn’t understand it despite joining St Kilda’s football staff for 2019. But that’s not what his role is about. Driving leadership, high standards and professionalism in preparation will be the focus for Slater, who played 319 NRL games for Storm in AFL territory.

“Whether I attend games and get involved in the nitty gritty of preparing for a game... I don’t understand AFL and I don’t come here as a specialist AFL coach,” he said. “Hopefully I can just input what I know and what I’ve experienced in my career. “Around the specifics of the skills of the game are different but at the end of the day we’re a team trying to strive for one goal.

Billy Slater switches codes to link with St Kilda Saints

Retired Melbourne Storm rugby league great Billy Slater is switching codes and joining St Kilda AFL club to work in a leadership development role. The Storm superstar, who retired after their NRL grand final loss earlier this month, will link with the Saints in a newly-created position. Former Collingwood AFL skipper Nick Maxwell performs a similar
role at the Storm. Regarded as one of the NRL's greatest players and one of the key leaders of Storm's revered culture, Slater will work closely with all AFL players, coaches and high-performance staff at the Saints. The part-time position will see the 35-year-old play a mentoring role with the club's leaders, while also sharing his experiences in relation to professionalism, training standards and match-day performance across the whole playing group. Slater is expected to the begin the part-time role early in the pre-season.

Billy Slater's incredible act of sportsmanship in defeat

Amid the heartbreak of having his fairytale finish ruined, Billy Slater showed his absolute class in defeat. The Storm superstar is living proof that fairytales don’t always have happy ending. The retiring Melbourne superstar was looking to end his 319-game NRL career with another premiership at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. But the game didn’t go to script, with the Sydney Roosters crushing the Storm 21-6. However Slater produced a remarkable act of sportsmanship for victorious former teammate Cooper Cronk.

instead of wallow in defeat, Slater made a beeline for Cronk to congratulate him on an extraordinary grand final performance. Booed for most of the game, Slater may have won some fans back as he sought out Cronk on the bench immediately after full-time. “He’s a really good mate of mine and it was really tough to see him play the second half (injured),” Slater said. “What a courageous effort…I’m shattered for our team but I’m just really proud of him.” Slater said friendship was just one thing he would take from his career. “I am really grateful for the career I have had and for the friends I have made,” he said