BILLY Slater has the biggest decision of his career ahead of him: retire or sign up for a rehabilitation path littered with potholes.

His shoulder injury is severe and a second major surgery on it at his age is far from a guaranteed success story.

Still, no champion wants to be forced to retire before his time. Right now he is agonising over a choice that has thrown up some of the NRL’s biggest tragedies and triumphs.

There’s the group of players who have made miraculous comebacks but then there’s the group who have conceded there’s no way back and hung up their boots rather than face disappointment further down the track.

Round 19

First, the comeback kings.

BEN ROSS

Was just a millimetre from a wheelchair or worse when sidelined by a shocking neck injury after a tackle went wrong in the opening round of the 2009 season.

Three operations and two years later, Ross was back for the Rabbitohs, and was made captain for good measure.

BRENT TATE

Recognisable as much for his neck brace as his rare ability to find the tryline, Tate is the ultimate NRL survival story.

The Origin star who has enjoyed an incredible career with the Broncos, Warriors and Cowboys, has constantly beaten the odds to return to the field and play to his potential after serious leg, back and neck injuries that have put him on the operation table for 12 major surgeries.

Brent Tate is chaired off after finally retiring. Source: News Corp Australia

So convinced that his career was over after suffering a serious knee injury playing for Australia in the 2010 Four Nations, Tate was captured crying his eyes out, an inconsolable wreck in the dressing room.

But that wouldn’t be the end as the champion centre returned to play a further four seasons with the Cowboys, adding further representative caps at both Origin and Test level.

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MAL MENINGA

The unbeatable Queensland coach is recognised as one of the greatest players of all-time, but what isn’t as widely acknowledged is the courage he showed just to stay on the field.

While many others would have been forced to retire, Meninga overcame four broken arms in the space of about 18 months in 1987 and 1988 before coming back to reclaim his mantle as the era’s pre-eminent player.

Meninga missed almost the entire 1987 season, breaking his arm twice before playing 60 minutes in the Raiders’ grand final loss to Manly.

In 1988 another break forced Meninga out of the Kangaroos team for a series against Great Britain, before he came back to play against the Rest of the World late in the season and suffered a fourth break.

Mal Meninga overcame plenty of adversity during his NRL career. Source: Getty Images

ANTHONY MINICHIELLO

Captained his Sydney Roosters to their 2013 premiership to ice a remarkable couple of seasons for the former Golden Boot, whose career looked at an end way back in 2007 due to a crippling back injury.

After sitting out most of 2006 with a serious disc injury, Mini had another major setback in ‘07 when his back flared up again.

But the Roosters champion refused to give up and lifted the premiership trophy in 2013 despite two further setbacks — major injuries to his neck and ankle.

HONOURABLE MENTION — DEAN YOUNG

His was a different kind of comeback, given every game for the last six years of his career just about put him into retirement.

For half his career Young played through a chronic knee injury, winning a premiership for St George Illawarra and earning Origin honours during this period.

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The above are just a small sample of examples of NRL comebacks from career-threatening injuries, but not everyone hurt gets to see the light at the end of what can be a very dark tunnel.

Here’s some of the high profile examples of players who couldn’t get back off the canvas, with a serious injury cutting their career short.

ALEX MCKINNON

One of the saddest stories in NRL history, this promising young second-rower was paralysed after landing on his head in a lifting tackle against the Storm in round three of 2014.

McKinnon was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma after undergoing neck surgery.

He was brought out of the coma days later but without the use of his legs and, while he continues to undergo treatment, he is still wheelchair bound almost two years later.

The Alex McKinnon story is one of the NRL’s saddest forced retirements. Source: The Daily Telegraph

JHARAL YOW YEH

Although he wore the Broncos jersey one more time in a trial leading into the 2014 season, this outstanding young winger was unable to see his courageous comeback through and ultimately retired just a couple of months later.

At the time an incumbent for Queensland and the Kangaroos, Yow Yeh was cut down by a horrific compound fracture on his ankle just four seasons into an electrifying NRL career.

At the age of just 23, Yow Yeh wasn’t about to give up without a fight and he went through the best part of two years of gruelling rehabilitation, with 10 operations along the way as he attempted to resurrect his career.

However, that ended in vain when he finally announced his retirement in March 2014.

SIMON DWYER

One of the brightest young prospects in the game back in 2011, a seemingly inoccuous tackle on Canterbury prop Michael Hodgson ended Dwyer’s career after contact to his shoulder caused irreversible nerve damage.

Simon Dwyer was forced to retire with nerve damage. Source: News Corp Australia

TANIELA TUIAKI

Another Tigers star, the blockbusting winger was in the form of his life in 2009 before an horrific ankle injury ended his career in round 24.

After spending 2010 in and out of rehab due to three surgeries to repair the ankle, Tuiaki finally relinquished his dream of an NRL return in February 2011.

ANDREW JOHNS

The greatest NRL player of all-time spent much of his career playing through injury, but when it was revealed in 2007 that returning to the field with a spinal injury would mean risking his life, Johns made the heart-wrenching decision to hang up his boots.

ADAM RITSON

One of the saddest stories in rugby league history, Ritson had already taken the game by storm when he was forced into retirement with a brain injury as a 20-year-old in 1996.

Ritson was knocked out by a head high tackle from Canberra Raiders forward John Lomax, with subsequent scans revealing Ritson had a cist on his brain.

JARROD MCCRACKEN

In a cautionary tale to all NRL players, McCracken took legal action after a spear tackle by Melbourne Storm players Stephen Kearney and Marcus Bai prematurely ended the New Zealand rep star’s career in 2000, due to a serious neck injury caused by the tackle.