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Melbourne Storm star fullback Billy Slater’s recovery from last night’s 40-14 win over Newcastle has been disrupted as he races to the Gold Coast to compete in the Commonwealth Games.
Tonight sees the final of the men’s ten-metre platform diving event and assistant coach Chava Sobrino was quick to get on the phone to Craig Bellamy in a bid to secure the fullback’s services.
“I saw Slater’s diving talents on full display a fortnight ago against Cronulla and his effort last night was just as impressive,” Sobrino said.
Australian divers have only managed two gold medals at the games so far, both coming from female competitors.
Sobrino, however, is confident that Slater’s late inclusion to the team will be enough to see them claim the top prize in tonight’s event.
“The fact he was able to incorporate a slight twist into his dive last night was promising. He obviously lacks the level of poise required at this level, yet with enough practice, I believe he is certainly one to look out for in the pool later tonight,” Sobrino claimed.
Storm coach Bellamy said that the late call-up was less than ideal as Slater will now have a rushed preparation for next week’s Friday night clash with Brisbane.
However, he did note that there are obvious benefits from the practice Slater will gain in working with Sobrino and the rest of the Australian diving team.
“While I would have preferred Billy to focus on Friday’s game, I don’t doubt that the skills he will learn will be useful for future games. Newcastle were slowly gaining momentum and were threatening to fight their way back into the contest.”
You can catch Slater’s performance tonight starting at 7pm AEDT live from the Optus Aquatic Centre.
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