Billy Slater has been linked with a possible move to Melbourne Storm to lead his old NRL club when Craig Bellamy finally hangs up the coaching hat, after the reigning Queensland State of Origin coach said he wouldn’t be signing a formal contract for the state gig after this series.
The 43-year-old is off-contract with QRL beyond the 2026 series, and has long suggested he’s happy with a “handshake” to keep coaching.
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Bellamy, 66, was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder earlier this year, and has said there’s no guarantee he will coach the club beyond the end of this campaign. That alone has linked Slater to the gig these last few months, even if he’s remained standoffish about the move.
The conversation has reignited this week after Slater said he wasn’t sure if he’d re-sign with Queensland – and didn’t want to put pen to paper either way.
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know,” Slater said when asked if Wednesday’s decider could be his last game in charge. “I won’t be signing another contract. This is not a contract job for me. I really enjoy helping this group of men go and inspire our people of Queensland.”
“When that changes, my position will change,” he continued. Or if someone in the QRL decides there’s someone better for the job, I’m all for that as well.”
When probed on whether his arrangement moving forward would be on a “handshake” basis, Slater said: “Yep, pretty much.”
“It might surprise you, but that’s how it is.”
Slater replacing Bellamy at Melbourne was just recently called “an absolute dream,” with many of the belief the 43-year-old would be the perfect new helmsman to get the best out of a star-studded roster led by Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, and Sua Fa’alogo.
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I suppose we’ll have to see how this Origin decider in Queensland next Wednesay, July 8, ends up before anything happens either way.
And Slater, ever coy, was never going to give anything serious away this week.
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