Melbourne fullback Billy Slater refused to be drawn on his future plans after his Clive Churchill medal-winning performance inspired the Storm to a convincing 34-6 win over North Queensland in the NRL grand final.

The future of Slater, who is off contract, had been the subject of much talk heading into the game at ANZ Stadium but he did not let the speculation affect his performance on Sunday night as he put in a stand-out performance.

The fullback scored the third of Melbourne’s six tries and set up another to cap a remarkable return from a long-term shoulder injury earlier this season. It is Slater’s second Churchill medal after claiming the prestigious medallion in the 2009 decider.

Now 34, Slater showed no signs of old age in an up-tempo grand final, continually catching the Cowboys out with quick restarts and probing runs. But having fully recovered from a shoulder injury that threatened to derail his career, he said he is yet to make a decision on whether he will play on next season.

“I didn’t really know [whether I’d be back here],” Slater said after the win, breaking into tears. “I really don’t know yet [if I’ll retire], but my body’s feeling really good and I’ll make a decision soon.”

His team-mate, Cooper Cronk, was equally coy, and would give no indication on whether he will continue his career by joining a Sydney-based team next year or hang up his boots.

The grand final was Cronk’s last game in a Storm jersey after he confirmed earlier in the season he would be moving to Sydney to be with his partner, the sports TV presenter Tara Rushton.

“I’ll celebrate this, wake up with a hangover for a couple of days and then I’ll have a think about it,” Cronk said. “It’s really hard to give up moments like this ... you work extremely hard for it and the satisfaction of it is so hard to describe in words.

“I know it’s my last time in this jersey. I’ll hang it up with pride ... and then I’ve got some thinking to do haven’t I?”

Whatever their decisions, the match marked the end of an era, with the Big Three of Slater, Cronk and Storm captain Cameron Smith to be broken up.

“They are reliable,” Cronk said of his fellow Storm greats. “I don’t think Cameron Smith has thrown me a bad pass in my career. And Billy has never let me down. I’d like to think we inspired each other to keep working hard. Unfortunately this is the last time we’ll do it together.”



The victory allowed the trio to avenge last year’s grand final loss to Cronulla. “There’s no fairytales in rugby league but working really hard and hoping results go your way,” Cronk said.

“This is one hell of a football team to come back from the disappointment of last year and continually do the hard work and do the things that make you a good footy team.



“I don’t know what I’d be if it wasn’t for Melbourne Storm. It’s been the biggest influence on me and my football career and on me as a person. Melbourne Storm makes you bigger than what you are and better than what you are.”

The 33-year-old admitted to being emotional about his exit on grand final eve. “Yesterday I was a little bit emotional with some of the older blokes who’d been here, like me, for a long time,” he said. “We’ve played so many games together but everyone involved in our squad just wanted to send him out the right way.

“Whatever the result tonight Cooper Cronk was always going to be a legend in our club and a legend of the game. I thought it was just fitting to finish on a great note. It couldn’t have been better tonight.”