Billy Slater was born for Origin.
When lightning speed finally waned and his ornate playing career drew to a close, the question was when he would become Queensland’s coach, not if.
Slater was appointed last September and during his first camp as Maroons boss this week, he admitted that he did not know what coach he would be.
So foxsports.com.au contacted Slater’s former teammates and rivals to get a better idea of what everyone can expect from one of Origin’s most dominant players in history.
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There were two recurring themes, the first being Slater’s burning desire to win at all costs and the second being that he left nothing to chance – including the big games that define history.
Slater has won a staggering 11 Origin series in 12 years during his famous 31-game Maroons career and has been named a series player twice.
They shared this never-ending success in Queensland with Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, whom Slater appointed as his assistants.
NSW have won three of the last four series, but the great Maroons Brent Tate believes as in Slater’s playing career – his timing is perfect.
“It’s exactly what we need as a Queensland team right now.” “Timing is everything and it’s time,” Tate said.
Here foxsports.com.au analyzes why the dominance of Billy Slater Origin can continue in boxing coaches before the start of the 2022 series on Wednesday night.
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MENTALITY OF ORIGIN
Good Origin players supply the series, the big ones do it for ten years.
Slater was a central feature of the most dominant period of origin in history, with Queensland eliminating only one series between 2006 and 2017.
During that era, there were a lot of talented players on both sides of the park, but every good sports psychologist will tell you that almost one thing decided about those series – mentality.
“Billy just understands what this is about,” Tate told foxsports.com.au.
“He knows the environment he has to create and how he has to get the players on Wednesday night.
“Origin is not about coaching, it’s about creating a culture and environment for boys to be happy and thrive and make them believe in the matter.
“Billy has the ingredient.” He sincerely believes it, knows it and loves it.
“I have no doubt that Billy can be a really successful Origin coach for a long time.”
Slater was known for his professionalism, but Tate said his even greater ability was to know when to shut down.
“Very professional, but it’s always fun,” Tate said.
“A very nice guy.” It just has all the ingredients. “
Corey Parker, who played 19 games for Queensland, reiterated the sentiment and said his former teammate Slater was one of the big relationship builders in the Maroons camps.
“He was never just a business and that was his great balance,” Parker said.
“Understanding when you can have fun and relax and be yourself, but also understanding when it’s time to turn on.
“Given the successful Origin we had, it was important that when you have time to really enjoy it, and then turn on when it’s time to train.
“Relationships at Origin are really big, you want to play for the boys next to you, but more importantly, play for the state and the coach.
“He understands that and there are now a lot of older players in this group who also understand that.”
Queensland’s coach list over the years is full of the most relevant characters in the game’s history.
Mal Mening, Wayne Bennett and Arthur Beetson all enjoyed a lot of success, and Tate believes Slater’s name will sit next to them when it’s all said and done.
“Timing is everything and I think Billy took the lead at a really good time,” Tate said.
“Under Billy, they will thrive because they will create an environment where everyone can thrive and play according to their merits.”
“She has the respect of all of them and they will soon know what they are trying to create and how they will do it.
“It will provide an environment where Cam Munster can be Cam Munster, where Kalyn Ponga can be the best version of Kalyn Pong, and that’s Origin, which will give them a platform to be the best.
“Everyone will know if they don’t already know that when Billy speaks badly, he knows what it’s like.”
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WILL TO WIN
Slater is known as one of the best guys in the rugby league, but even the politely speaking little defender was prone to some white line fever.
The former Kangaroo and Blues, five-eighth Braith Anasta, battled Slater in five Origin series and remembers him as the fiercest of his rivals.
“As a racer on the field, he was tough, uncompromising, winning at all costs,” Anastas told foxsports.com.au.
“A very confident player. He loved a little chat on the field, no doubt about it, but he supported it. “
Parker’s Anastaino review was not surprising and he said the pair gave as good as they could.
“You compete in everything, right.” Billy was considered the best extreme defender in the game and he kept extra hot at the moment you do – you return a little curry, “said Parker.
“Braith probably took a little curry because Braith didn’t mind the sledge at times, so it’s all an integral part of the game – that’s why we love it.
“Billy wouldn’t sled when they lost, you sledding only if you win, and Billy won a lot.”
Anasta said that Slater has become one of the game’s greats due to her work ethic and believes that the tireless approach will bring a lot of success to coaching.
“He had to work really hard on his game, like when he first came to class, he was naturally really fast, but his work ethic was incredible during his career and he got to the point where his pass,” Anasta said.
“When he started, he didn’t have many passes and in the end he threw cutouts and short small dexterous passes and his skill level went so far as a player that he became one of the greats, one of the best extreme defenders who ever played ours. game.
“As a coach, his work ethic, his tenacity, his will to win, but he was also there and he did it, the players will definitely react and will play for him because he was there and he did it.
“You can’t question anything Billy Slater does because he’s such a perfect professional.”
“I think the players will react and the players will want to win for him and leave nothing on the field.”
“I expect him to be very successful.”
MAKE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS
Slater was never afraid to take the game by the way and show off the captivating game that often dispelled the game.
Queensland’s biggest defender has a long list of groundbreaking games, but perhaps none is more famous than his chip-and-chase attempt in his 2004 debut series.
The iconic attempt made a difference, as Slater was named the man of the match in his second appearance at Origin.
Parker made his debut in the Maroons, saying that even when he was 20, Slater made his own fortune.
“The risk only exists when you don’t know what you’re doing,” Parker said.
“If Billy came up with the game because he identified a weakness or rift in defense, it’s not just an incentive.”
“It simply came to our notice then. It’s not like you go there and say, “I hope it works.” It’s ‘this is what I saw, this is what we can do’, then he practices it first and then he plays a big game.
Tate, who played 23 Maroons between 2002 and 2014, has witnessed Slater’s careful preparation for more than a decade.
“With Billy, he practiced the game 500 times, so it wasn’t a big game in Billy’s mind,” Tate said.
“If Billy was going to pull the trigger while playing, Billy would practice this game.” That’s exactly what he was.
“We throw a long ball or run a kick, we sit there and we think it’s a big game, but I guarantee Billy would coach it, so it’s not a big game for him in his mind.”
“It’s a calculated risk because he practiced it.”
“He was an entertainer, he had speed and so he played, but no one worked or practiced harder than Billy Slater.”
EMPHASIS ON DETAIL
Slater almost always took his chances as a player and his former rivals and teammates expect the same from him as a coach.
But Parker emphasized that there was only one way to create these chances, and that was hard work.
“Origin is not always about having the best player and flashy games. These are the basic foundations of great games that always stand up, ”said Parker.
“Billy models his own game, that’s the effort, the rivalry, the preparation, the understanding of the opposition to the next degree.”
“At some point in the game, you will be required to dive into that information, and that’s what will instill the team.”
“Because it’s so limited preparation, big flashy games come, some basic individual talent comes, but it’s always based on being ready for what you’re going to do, you understand what you’re going to do, but also having that ability and desire Fight for everything you can get.
“I think that’s why we saw some new fresh faces on the team.” While their form guarantees that they are on the team, they all follow these qualities and customs and that is Origin, that’s what Origin is about.
“Billy, along with Cam and JT, will certainly instill it, along with a history that’s really important.”
“After all, if there’s a place your body doesn’t want you to go, but you find a way, that’s Origin.”
“He said during the week that he didn’t know what type of coach he would be, but one thing you can be sure of is that he won’t be left stone unturned.”
“He’ll be 100 percent committed to things in terms of preparation, and that’s all you can do.”
Tate added: “We all know that his attention to detail is in place, that’s how he played his career and that’s how he approaches this job.”
The series begins Wednesday in Sydney and then heads to Perth on June 26, with a potential decision to be made at Suncorp Stadium on July 13.
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