Billy Slater.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Melbourne fullback Billy Slater reckons the Storm's newly acquired premiership is made all the more sweeter when you consider the turmoil the club was in mid-season.
Melbourne suffered a string of five consecutive losses during June and July - the last of them being a 26-18 loss to St George Illawarra in round 21.
But as Sunday's 14-4 grand final win over Canterbury indicated, the Craig Bellamy-coached side bounced back in a big way.
Melbourne clinched their seventh-consecutive win in the comprehensive victory at ANZ Stadium.
"This makes it all that more sweeter," Slater said of the side's mid-season slump.
"We'll enjoy what we've achieved over the last 12 months. We've really worked hard and we'll enjoy the rewards.
"It's been a great year. We started off really well and won 11 or 12 in a row. We had five in a row where we lost and that was a really tough time for us.
"We went through a stage where we were just trying to look for answers and we were probably looking too far into it.
"Once we simplified things and got back into what we needed to do well, it was simple."
Slater was spectacular on the big stage, playing a part in each defining moment of the match.
The star fullback's desperation to stop a charging Josh Morris which helped keep the Bulldogs to one try.
Chasing a Ben Barba kick towards the try line, Morris needed only a good bounce to bring the Bulldogs back into the game.
The Illawarra junior toed the ball another few metres, but when it bounced high, Slater swooped in from behind to knock the ball over the line.
Slater couldn't understand what all the fuss was about after the game.
"We model our game on our defence and that's the benchmark for us."
