The comeback story of 2017 worthy of any Hollywood script.
At the beginning of the year there were doubts as to whether Billy Slater would even be able to return to the field let alone be back to his best.
He ticked that first box in Round 3 when he came off the bench to a standing ovation at AAMI Park against the Brisbane Broncos.
From that point on Slater set about reclaiming his mantle as the best fullback in the game.
A series of strong performances saw him make his return to the Origin arena for Game II. After helping seal another series victory for Queensland he then set about dominating in purple.
The stats do not lie, he was back to the Billy of old.
This season he led the team in offloads (41) and try assists (17) whilst scoring 11 of his own. He was also involved in the second most tries of any fullback in the NRL, leaving no doubt when the 34-year-old was named the Dally M Fullback of the Year for the third time in his career.
Forced to watch from the stands for the last two finals series, Slater was motivated to be the difference maker for his side this time around.
This is exactly what he did, making this year’s Finals Series his own with a total of four line breaks, four tries and averaging 142 metres per game.
The comeback was made complete when Slater was awarded the Clive Churchill medal for best on ground in the Grand Final, officially putting to bed a torturous two years to reclaim his place atop the mountain.
Slater also announced at Storm’s end of season awards night that he would be playing on in 2018 for a 16th NRL season.
Games played |
Tries scored |
Try assists |
Line breaks |
Metres gained |
21 |
11 |
17 |
16 |
2687 |
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