Boyd is still next Kangaroos No.1: Slater
Nov 24, 2017 - 9:00 PM He's got eyes on being number one, but Valentine Holmes isn't even number two.Billy Slater believes the injured Darius Boyd is still the next Kangaroos fullback despite Holmes' historic six tries in Australia's 54-6 rout of Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final.
On the night Boyd was given the honour of handing out jerseys at Suncorp Stadium, he was anointed as Slater's successor when the Kangaroos fullback eventually retires.
Boyd was one of Australia's best at fullback in their Four Nations triumph last year when Slater was unavailable due to his shoulder injuries.
"Darius Boyd presented our jerseys to us this week and he's probably next in line," Slater said.
"He's done the job in the last couple of years and he's a fantastic fullback, a pretty complete one at that."
Slater said Holmes and fellow Kangaroos squad member Tom Trbojevic had plenty of improvement to go before becoming a complete fullback.
Holmes had a mixed night when he wore the No.1 in Australia's 52-6 pummelling of France during the pool stages while Slater was rested.
"The younger guys like Tommy and Val, they're still working on becoming an all-round good fullback and they're going to do that," Slater said.
"They're tremendous players, they're very talented players. I know when I first came in to play in the NRL, I wasn't a complete fullback. It takes time to build all those skills."
Slater admitted it was difficult for younger players to stamp their authority in a team boasting the likes of experienced campaigners Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk.
Both Holmes and Trbojevic are under the age of 23.
"Look, it's a position where you've got to be skilled in a lot of areas. Talking's one, and with the young guys these days, they're quite shy," Slater said.
"You're playing with Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk and it's not easy to be dominant with your talk. You've got to be instructional with where you want players at certain times."
Slater, who spent time at wing and centre early in his career, said boldness comes over time, as did a passing game that has become a valued part of the modern-day fullback.
"The other thing is they're great runners of the footy, the young guys coming through these days. I was a bit like that as well," Slater said.
"I was a runner of the footy and I had to develop a passing game. I had to work on my defence to work out positional play and focus on the opposition kickers.
"So there's a lot involved, but they're very capable of doing that, Valentine Holmes and big Tommy. They're going to be great players for Australia in the future."
Source: AAP
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