IF Billy Slater had his way, he would have been the next Reggie Cressbrook.

As a kid growing up in Innisfail, about three hours north of Townsville, he idolised North Queensland’s inaugural fullback.

He would run around his backyard in his Cowboys No. 1 jumper, dreaming of one day wearing it in the NRL.

While Cressbrook is hardly considered one of the club’s greats, he made a lasting impact on a young Slater.

“I certainly supported the Cowboys when I was growing up,” Slater said as he prepares to play his 299th and perhaps final game for Melbourne in Sunday’s grand final against North Queensland.

“I was a Broncos fan and then the Cowboys came into the competition in 1995 and I supported them growing up in North Queensland.

“Reggie Cressbrook was one of my favourite players, not many probably remember Reggie but he was a fullback playing for the Cowboys and I used to run around the backyard with a Cowboys jersey on.”

But in a case of ‘the one that got away’, Slater grew up under the noses of the Cowboys’ development scouts but was never offered a deal or place at the club.

At 17 he was given a chance at Queensland Cup club Norths Brisbane, then an affiliate of the Storm.

And the rest is history.

There he teamed with a young Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith for the first time and went on to become arguably the greatest fullback the game has ever seen.

So instead of lining up for the Cowboys at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night, he will be seeking his second premiership with the Storm.

Had he been picked up the Cowboys, the history of both clubs would have unfolded very differently.

However, there is no ill will from Slater.

“I actually didn’t make too many rep sides up there,” Slater said.

“I made the Innisfail district sides a fair bit but I never represented North Queensland, I didn’t represent Queensland until State of Origin.

“I was a small kid coming through and in that area, it’s really hard to pick everyone up.

“I understand that and there’s no hard feelings on my behalf.”

NRL GRAND FINAL REFEREES ANNOUNCED

MATT Cecchin and Gerard Sutton will referee Sunday’s NRL grand final between Melbourne and North Queensland at ANZ Stadium.

The pair, who refereed all three games of this year’s State of Origin series, have each refereed two grand finals previously.

“Matt and Gerard have experience in big games,” referees boss Tony Archer said.

“They also have experience working together in big games.”

Cecchin refereed in the 2011 and 2016 deciders, while Sutton officiated in 2014 and the Cowboys’ maiden premiership success in 2015.

Touch judges Nick Beashel and Chris Butler will officiate in their first deciders, while Bernard Sutton and Ben Galea will be in the bunker.

MORGAN CRONK-CLASH IN BATTLE OF THE COMPLIMENTS

MICHAEL Morgan says Cooper Cronk is the best play-maker in rugby league. Cronk says Morgan is the best playmaker in rugby league.

In a grand final preparation where both teams are connected through Queensland State of Origin representation, that disagreement is about as much friction fans will see in the build-up to Sunday’s decider at ANZ Stadium.

While Cronk is assured of wearing the Australian No. 7 jumper at the upcoming World Cup, there’s an argument to be made that Morgan has established himself as the form player of the finals series.

After North Queensland scraped into eighth spot, Morgan has fired them to an unlikely grand final berth which has shades of Jarryd Hayne rocketing Parramatta to the 2009 grand final.

Glad to have played some role in Morgan’s rise, Melbourne halfback Cronk was comfortable to admit the Cowboys playmaker had taken his mantle as the game’s best No. 7.

“He’s probably ahead of me at the moment,” Cronk said on Monday.

“He’s playing elite — there’s no doubt about it.

“His fingerprints and influence on the game, along with a lot of other players, has driven North Queensland to the position they’re in.

“So simple answer — he probably is (the best halfback in the NRL).”

Since co-captain Johnathan Thurston’s season-ending shoulder injury, Morgan has stepped into the Cowboys primary playmaking role.

His evolution has been nothing short of a revelation and he this week admitted he had to “pull my finger out” after Thurston went down after State of Origin II.

Ironically, Cronk also had a role in Morgan’s making as a playmaker after pulling him aside during Australian camp during the year.

Morgan described the heart-to-heart as a lightbulb moment and changed the way he thought about the game.

“I’d do it all over again,” Cronk said.

“I like to think I help people in situations like that, I hope I help the young stars here at the Melbourne Storm.

“Whatever I said, honestly, it’s minute compared to the work he’s done along with Paul Green. Johnathan Thurston’s probably had his fingerprints on his game plan and style.

“I haven’t done much, he’s done all of it.”

COWBOYS STAR FORGIVES STORM AFTER OFFICIAL COMPLAINT

AT the time, his coach was so angry he fired off an official complaint.

But North Queensland backrower Ethan Lowe says he has no beef with Melbourne’s wrestling tactics ahead of Sunday’s NRL grand final despite suffering a career- threatening neck scare against the Storm.

A year ago Lowe faced an uncertain future when he underwent spinal surgery after suffering the neck injury in the Cowboys’ 2016 qualifying loss to Melbourne.

North Queensland coach Paul Green was livid at the time, firing off an official complaint over the Storm’s tactics after another two Cowboys also suffered neck issues in the game.

But fast forward 12 months and Lowe said he had no problem with the Storm despite finishing last year’s qualifying final against them with little feeling in his feet and hands.

“Not at all. We have played them twice already this season and I got through it unscathed,” he said.

“I didn’t believe their tackling had anything to do with the injury. “I put it down to it being football and stuff happens.

“We play a physical sport and sometimes things can go wrong.” Lowe recovered in the pre-season to play every game for the Cowboys this year and be mentioned for Queensland State of Origin selection.

However, Lowe admitted plenty of doubts flashed through his mind as he began the long road to recovery.

“It was definitely hard having a major injury and a major scare — it plays on your mind a little bit,” said Lowe, who has also taken on Cowboys goal-kicking duties.

“And I think it played on my mind at the start of the season too but I worked my way through it and I am back where I need to be.” Asked if he was a little wary taking on the Storm wrestle again, Lowe said: “They’re playing to the whistle and if the refs don’t blow the whistle then it’s play on.

“I leave it to the refs to adjudicate and go from there.” The lanky back-rower’s main concern appears to the huge shiner on his right eye ahead of the grand final.

Not surprisingly, the player who came back from a career threatening neck injury didn’t seem concerned by a black eye.

“The eye is fine. It’s a bruise and a black eye - nothing too bad,” he said. “I will be fine. I am not too worried.

“It looks a lot worse than it is.”

COWBOYS CALL OUT AIRLINES OVER ‘CASH COW’ MOVE

NORTH Queensland CEO Greg Tonner has asked airlines to support the region and offer fair ticket prices as Cowboys fans scramble for flights from Townsville to Sydney for Sunday’s NRL grand final against Melbourne.

Cowboys supporters have complained of being fleeced with return flights from the NSW capital costing as much as $1000 as airlines try to find extra scheduled services for the surge in demand.

Tonner said the Cowboys were working with Virgin and Alliance Airlines to provide more charter services after already organising four additional flights to Sydney.

Qantas are expected to provide extra direct flight services to Sydney this week, in addition to their six daily Townsville-Brisbane services with connections to Sydney.

While more flights look set to be on offer, Tonner hoped airlines did not take advantage of the overwhelming demand.

“We are just trying to encourage more flights down there — there is demand,” Tonner told AAP.

“But obviously it has to be fair.

“It doesn’t have to be super cheap but it can’t be $800 or $1000 each way. “It would be nice to see the airlines really support the region.”

Complaints of steep fares from Cowboys fans have already reached the corridors of power in Queensland.

“Diehard North Queensland Cowboys fans looking at travelling to the grand final in Sydney should absolutely not be used as cash cows by airlines looking to make a quick buck,” Queensland LNP leader Tim Nicholls told the Townsville Bulletin. “It is totally unacceptable and un-Australian for airlines to start price gouging North Queensland Cowboys fans simply because their team made the grand final.” Tonner was confident North Queensland would make their presence felt at ANZ Stadium on Sunday despite the ticket price controversy.

“We will work with the state government and try to encourage our providers to make north Queensland a priority to get to the south,” he said.

“It’s not a cheap experience but we will be delighted to hear every voice at the stadium.” Tonner said he never ceased to be amazed by the passion of Cowboys fans. Townsville has become a sea of yellow, blue and grey in grand final week with Cowboys fever even spreading from the mainland.

Magnetic Island off Townsville was on Tuesday rebranded Cowboys Island for grand final week.

“I am always surprised and amazed about how much passion is up here,” Tonner said.

“The team is a channel for this region and how proud the people are of this region.

“So it would be nice to see a (flight ticket) price fair for business and community up here.”