NRL grand final: Melbourne Storm’s loss against Sydney Roosters marks the end of Billy Slater’s career
Living evidence that fairy tales don’t always have happy endings is Billy Slater.
At Sydney’s Olympic Stadium, the retiring Melbourne great hoped to round off his 319-game NRL career with one more premiership.
However, the game did not go as planned, and the Sydney Roosters defeated the Storm 21-6.
Slater told Channel Nine, “This finish is not how we planned, but that’s footy.”
“We tried our best, but that is the way it goes sometimes.”
About 90% of the grand final audience was made up of fervent Roosters supporters, and they made it obvious that they were not delighted with the outcome.
Slater was jeered when the ground announcer shouted out his name during the pregame warm-up, even though he had missed the procession of retiring players.
Additionally, as soon as the game started, the Roosters supporters would attack him every time he touched the ball.
Not that he had to do it very frequently because Luke Keary, the Roosters’ five-eighth, limited Slater’s influence on the game with his kicking.
Despite having attempted 23 attempts in the finals—one in each of his previous three grand finals—Slater was unable to add to his amazing total.
However, he could have gained some support again when he went straight to the bench after full time to look for injured Roosters half-back and veteran colleague Cooper Cronk.
Slater stated that he would only take one thing away from his career: friendship.
“I am really grateful for the career I have had and for the friends I have made,” he stated.
“Rugby League has taught me a lot of things — selflessness, respect, and I appreciate everything that everyone has done for me.”
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The Sydney Roosters defeated the Melbourne Storm 21–6, bringing Billy Slater’s career to an end. Cooper Cronk, who had played the NRL grand final with a broken scapula, was a key player in the victory.
After a week of conjecture over his damaged shoulder, Cronk was only officially declared a certain starter against his old team little over an hour before kickoff at Sydney’s Olympic stadium. The severity of the injury was made public following the Roosters’ triumph.
“In actuality, Cronk shattered his scapula. It will be recorded in historyyd. Bo Cordner, the co-captain of the Roosters, said Channel Nine, “That is a big performance from him.”
