WE all know what Billy Slater can do between the white lines of a football field.

We’ve witnessed his wizardry over 299 NRL games, Origins and Tests. Everyone has seen how he’s changed the way fullbacks play the game.

But there’s a side to Billy Slater the average Joe doesn’t know about. And it makes him as good as invaluable to the Melbourne Storm.

For Slater isn’t merely a player. He’s a recruiter, and a coach.

Round 20

Read on below for our full round 2 preview full squads, the stats that matter and biggest talking points in The Big Picture.

Melbourne recruitment manager Paul Bunn revealed to the Fox Sports Market Watch podcast how the veteran fullback helps bring new players to the club.

In particular, Slater was heavily involved in the recruitment of Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, and rookie fullback Ryan Papenhyuzen.

Young centre Curtis Scott has also spoken of Slater’s influence in his decision to join the club.

Billy Slater of the Storm will play his 300th NRL game this week. Source: Getty Images

“You don’t have to do too much prompting with a guy like Billy. Just his welcoming nature and his interest in the club, if I was to mention we’re bringing a young kid down, he makes it his job to go and see them, have a chat to them, talk about the club and how much he can help them,” Bunn said.

“That’s just Billy’s nature. He’s a pretty good human, Billy.

“Kids like Ryan Papenhyuzen and Jahrome Hughes have their own style, but they also do things that Billy does.

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“Cameron is a slightly different player to Billy, but the more time he spends with Billy the more things he does that are similar to what Billy does.

“So he has a huge influence on what goes on there at fullback.”

The third hat on Slater’s head is coach.

It’s well known Slater has the desire to move into coaching when his time as a player comes to an end.

Ben Ikin and Nathan Ryan are joined by Storm recruitment manager Paul Bunn to discuss the club’s secrets for luring new players to the club, including a behind-the-scenes role for Billy Slater.

You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app.

But he’s already doing plenty of work behind the scenes to help Craig Bellamy at the Storm.

“We heard from Luke Lewis on NRL 360 about the work (Slater) does with his teammates in subgroups. He’ll work with his wingers to make sure their communication and understanding is right for that component of the game. Then he’ll work with the backline as a whole, then he’ll work with his playmakers,” Ben Ikin told the Market Watch podcast.

“So everybody knows what needs to happen and they are all on the same page.

“That’s fantastic. It lends itself to a player who is a coach in the making, and Billy has already shown his inclination towards the coaching stuff.”

Slater runs out for his 300th NRL game at AAMI Park against the Wests Tigers on Saturday.

Read on below for our full round 2 preview full squads, the stats that matter and biggest talking points in The Big Picture.

THURSDAY

Cronulla Sharks v St George Illawarra Dragons at Southern Cross Group Stadium, 8.05pm (AEDT)

Sharks: 1 Valentine Holmes, 2 Sosaia Feki, 3 Josh Dugan, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Aaron Gray, 6 Matthew Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Andrew Fifita, 9 Jayden Brailey, 10 Matthew Prior, 11 Jayson Bukuya, 12 Wade Graham, 13 Paul Gallen (c) Interchange: 14 Kurt Capewell, 15 James Segeyaro, 16 Avagalu Seumanufagai, 17 Joseph Paulo Reserves: 18 Kurt Dillon, 19 Trent Hodkinson, 20 Jesse Ramien, 21 Jack Williams

Dragons: 1 Matthew Dufty, 2 Nene Macdonald, 3 Euan Aitken, 4 Tim Lafai, 5 Jason Nightingale, 6 Gareth Widdop (c), 7 Ben Hunt, 8 James Graham, 9 Cameron McInnes, 10 Paul Vaughan, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Tariq Sims, 13 Jack De Belin Interchange: 14 Luciano Leilua, 15 Kurt Mann, 16 Leeson Ah Mau, 17 Hame Sele Reserves: 18 Jeremy Latimore, 19 Zachary Lomax, 20 Reece Robson, 21 Blake Lawrie

The talking point: After starring in the trials, Valentine Holmes had a round one outing to forget and has been shafted from fullback for the club’s second game of the season. It means Josh Dugan is pushed from the centre to fullback. In a bizarre twist of fate, one of the reasons Dugan left St George Illawarra was because he wanted to play fullback instead of centre. Now he has the chance to show the Dragons what they let go.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Cronulla’s 1089 running metres against the Cowboys last week is the team’s lowest game total since running for 973 metres in week two of the 2015 finals series. Last week the Dragons conceded the fewest metres of any team, holding the Broncos to 1009.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Sharks $1.75, Dragons $2.12

Our prediction: Dragons by 8

FRIDAY

Sydney Roosters v Canterbury Bulldogs at Allianz Stadium, 6pm (AEDT)

Roosters: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Daniel Tupou, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Joseph Manu, 5 Blake Ferguson, 6 Luke Keary, 7 Cooper Cronk, 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9 Jake Friend (c), 10 Sio Siua Taukeiaho, 11 Boyd Cordner (c), 12 Mitchell Aubusson, 13 Isaac Liu Interchange: 14 Dylan Napa, 15 Zane Tetevano, 16 Ryan Matterson, 17 Victor Radley Reserves: 18 Reece Robinson, 19 Mitchell Cornish, 20 Nat Butcher, 21 Lindsay Collins

Bulldogs: 1 Moses Mbye, 2 Brett Morris, 3 Josh Morris, 4 Will Hopoate, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Matthew Frawley, 7 Kieran Foran, 8 Aaron Woods, 9 Michael Lichaa, 10 David Klemmer, 11 Joshua Jackson (c), 12 Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 13 Danny Fualalo Interchange: 14 Adam Elliott, 15 Aiden Tolman, 16 Greg Eastwood, 17 Jeremy Marshall-King Reserves: 19 Asipeli Fine, 20 Kerrod Holland, 21 Renouf Toomaga, 23 John Olive

The talking point: Even after one loss, the heat is on the Roosters after a disappointing showing against the Wests Tigers last Saturday. Their forward pack continues to be put under the microscope, while James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk will be desperate to show fans why there was so much pre-season optimism. With both teams coming off losses, no one will want to be starting the season 0-2.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The Roosters have scored 20 or more points in their past eight games against the Bulldogs. The club’s longest streak of scoring 20 or more points against one team is 10 games, and has happened twice (against the Tigers and Raiders).

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Roosters $1.32, Bulldogs $3.50

Our prediction: Roosters by 2

Brisbane Broncos v North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium, 8.05pm (AEDT)

Broncos: 1 Darius Boyd (c), 2 Corey Oates, 3 James Roberts, 4 Jordan Kahu, 5 Jamayne Isaako, 6 Anthony Milford, 7 Kodi Nikorima, 8 Matthew Lodge, 9 Andrew McCullough, 10 Tevita Pangai Jnr, 11 Alex Glenn, 12 Matt Gillett, 13 Josh McGuire Interchange: 14 Sam Thaiday, 15 Joe Ofahengaue, 16 Korbin Sims, 17 Tom Opacic Reserves: 18 Todd Murphy, 19 Sam Tagataese, 20 Jonus Pearson, 21 George Fai

Cowboys: 1 Ben Hampton, 2 Kyle Feldt, 3 Justin O’Neill, 4 Javid Bowen, 5 Antonio Winterstein, 14 Te Maire Martin, 7 Johnathan Thurston (c), 8 Matthew Scott (c), 9 Jake Granville, 10 Jordan McLean, 11 Gavin Cooper, 12 Ethan Lowe, 13 Jason Taumalolo Interchange: 14 John Asiata, 15 Coen Hess, 16 Scott Bolton, 18 Corey Jensen

The talking point: Everyone will be curious to see how Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima respond to the mountain of criticism that was built up following their disappointing round one loss. The duo failed to get the Broncos firing and it’s not going to get any easier against the Cowboys. With questions being raised over the Broncos forward pack, they’re going to have their hands full dealing with the likes of Jason Taumalolo, Matt Scott, Jordan McLean and Coen Hess. Could a halves switch-up be on the cards?

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Of the past nine meetings between these clubs, six have been decided by 6 points or less. Four of the last six games have gone to golden point, while another was decided by a field goal in regular time. Of those nine games, Brisbane led at half time in eight of them.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Broncos $2.50, Cowboys $1.55

Our prediction: Cowboys 13+

SATURDAY

Warriors v Gold Coast Titans at Mt Smart Stadium, 3.05pm (AEDT)

Warriors: 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 David Fusitu’a 3 Peta Hiku 4 Solomone Kata 5 Ken Maumalo 6 Blake Green 7 Shaun Johnson 8 James Gavet 9 Issac Luke 10 Adam Blair 11 Isaiah Papali’i 12 Tohu Harris 13 Ligi Sao. Interchange: (from) 14 Sam Cook 15 Leivaha Pulu 16 Sam Lisone 17 Bunty Afoa 18 Anthony Gelling 20 Jazz Tevaga 21 Agnatius Paasi 22. Mason Lino

Titans: 1 Michael Gordon, 2 Anthony Don, 3 Dale Copley, 4 Konrad Hurrell, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 Kane Elgey, 7 Ashley Taylor, 8 Jai Arrow, 9 Nathan Peats, 10 Leilani Latu, 11 Kevin Proctor, 12 Ryan James (c), 13 Bryce Cartwright Interchange: 14 Mitch Rein, 15 Max King, 16 Will Matthews, 17 Morgan Boyle Reserves: 18 Keegan Hipgrave, 19 Joe Greenwood, 20 Jai Whitbread, 21 AJ Brimson

The talking point: Two of round one’s biggest surprise packets face each other in what shapes to be an intriguing clash. After shocking most of the NRL fraternity, the Warriors will be out to prove their standout performance against the Rabbitohs wasn’t a flash in the pan, and that they can be a consistent team. As for the Titans, who fought back from an 18-0 deficit, they’ll be desperate to burst out of the blocks because the Warriors will make them pay.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Gold Coast has only won its opening two matches to a season once, in 2010. That year they went on to play their one and only preliminary final.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Warriors $1.37, Titans $3.20

Our prediction: Warriors by 10

Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs at Panthers Stadium, 5.30pm

Panthers: 1 Dylan Edwards, 2 Josh Mansour, 3 Waqa Blake, 4 Tyrone Peachey, 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 6 James Maloney, 7 Nathan Cleary, 8 James Tamou, 9 Peter Wallace (c), 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11 Viliame Kikau, 12 Isaah Yeo, 13 Trent Merrin Interchange: 14 Corey Harawira-Naera, 15 Sam McKendry, 16 Moses Leota, 17 James Fisher-Harris Reserves: 18 Sione Katoa, 19 Tim Browne, 20 Dean Whare, 21 Christian Crichton

Rabbitohs: 1 Alex Johnston, 2 Richie Kennar, 3 Dane Gagai, 4 Greg Inglis (c), 5 Robert Jennings, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Adam Doueihi, 8 Thomas Burgess, 9 Damien Cook, 10 Sam Burgess, 11 John Sutton, 12 Angus Crichton, 13 Cameron Murray Interchange: 14 Tyrell Fuimaono, 15 Mark Nicholls, 16 George Burgess, 17 Tevita Tatola Reserves: 18 Robbie Farah, Jason Clark, 20 Hymel Hunt, Vincent Leuluai

The talking point: How will the Rabbitohs cope without Adam Reynolds? The Bunnies have lost their halfback to injury yet again and rookie Adam Doueihi has been given the nod over veteran Robbie Farah who played in the No. 7 during the pre-season. The Rabbitohs have won just five of 19 games without Reynolds so they’ll need to produce something special against Penrith who are coming off a gritty first round win.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: In the past eight games between these sides at Penrith Stadium, the Panthers double South Sydney in the second 20 minutes of the match (that’s minute 20 to 40). Penrith has scored 60 points in that period to Rabbitohs’ 30.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Panthers $1.39, Rabbitohs $3.10

Our prediction: Panthers by 4

Melbourne Storm v Wests Tigers at AAMI Park, 7.35pm (AEDT)

Storm: 1 Billy Slater, 2 Suliasi Vunivalu, 3 Will Chambers, 4 Curtis Scott, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Brodie Croft, 8 Jesse Bromwich, 9 Cameron Smith (c), 10 Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 11 Felise Kaufusi, 12 Ryan Hoffman, 13 Dale Finucane Interchange: 14 Tim Glasby, 15 Kenny Bromwich, 16 Christian Welch, 17 Sam Kasiano Reserves: 18 Young Tonumaipea, 19 Joe Stimson, 20 Billy Walters, 21 Brandon Smith

Tigers: 1 Tuimoala Lolohea, 2 Corey Thompson, 3 Esan Marsters, 4 Kevin Naiqama, 5 Malakai Watene-Zelezniak, 14 Benji Marshall, 7 Luke Brooks, 8 Russell Packer, 9 Pita Godinet, 10 Ben Matulino, 11 Chris Lawrence, 12 Robbie Rochow, 13 Elijah Taylor Interchange: 14 Matt McIlwrick 15 Alex Twal, 16 Michael Chee Kam, 17 Matthew Eisenhuth Reserves: 18 Josh Aloiai, 19 David Nofoaluma, 20 Tim Grant, 21 Tyson Gamble

The talking point: It’s all about Melbourne’s superstar fullback Billy Slater who joins the prestigious 300-game club. It‘s also Slater’s first NRL game of the year after he missed the club’s season opener due to a minor shoulder complaint, so Cameron Munster will slot back into the halves.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Melbourne has won 13 of 13 games when leading the Wests Tigers at half time. Tigers have led on four of the past six meetings, but lost the two most recent.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Storm $1.16, Tigers $5.50

Our prediction: Storm by 12

SUNDAY

Manly Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels at Lottoland, 4.10pm (AEDT)

Sea Eagles: 1 Tom Trbojevic, 2 Jorge Taufua, 3 Brad Parker, 4 Brian Kelly, 5 Akuila Uate, 6 Lachlan Croker, 7 Daly Cherry-Evans (c), 8 Addin Fonua-Blake, 9 Apisai Koroisau, 10 Martin Taupau, 11 Joel Thompson, 12 Curtis Sironen, 13 Jake Trbojevic Interchange: 14 Jackson Hastings, 15 Shaun Lane, 16 Lloyd Perrett, 17 Kelepi Tanginoa Reserves: 18 Matthew Wright, 19 Lewis Brown, 20 Jack Gosiewski, 21 Frank Winterstein

Eels: 1 Bevan French, 2 Josh Hoffman, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Jarryd Hayne, 5 Kirisome Auva’a, 6 Corey Norman, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Daniel Alvaro, 9 Cameron King, 10 Tim Mannah (c), 11 Manu Ma’u, 12 Tepai Moeroa, 13 Nathan Brown. Interchange: 14 Beau Scott (c), 15 Brad Takairangi, 16 Suaia Matagi, 17 Kane Evans. Reserves: 18 Will Smith, 19 Kenny Edwards, 20 David Gower, 21 Kaysa Pritchard

The talking point: There’s plenty of question marks over Manly’s halves following their round one loss to Newcastle. Their skipper Daly Cherry-Evans looked out of sorts and his new halves partner Lachlan Croker will struggle to fill the void left by Blake Green’s exit. On the flip side, Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses were on fire in the first half of Parramatta’s clash with Penrith, although went on to lose the game. All eyes will be on the playmakers in this game.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: Parramatta has won the past six meetings between these clubs — the Eels’ longest winning streak against any team. In those game the Eels have averaged more than 22 points, while the Sea Eagles have failed to score more than 16 in a match.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Sea Eagles $1.80, Eels $2.05

Our prediction: Eels by 8

Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at GIO Stadium, 6,30pm (AEDT)

Raiders: 1 Jack Wighton, 2 Nick Cotric, 3 Jarrod Croker (c), 4 Joseph Leilua, 5 Jordan Rapana, 6 Blake Austin, 7 Sam Williams, 8 Iosia Soliola, 9 Siliva Havili, 10 Shannon Boyd, 11 Josh Papalii, 12 Elliott Whitehead, 13 Luke Batman Interchange: 14 Aiden Sezer, 15 Junior Paulo, 16 Dunamis Lui, 17 Charlie Gubb Reserves: 18 Craig Garvey, 19 Michael Oldfield, 20 Royce Hunt, 21 Jack Murchie

Knights: 1 Kalyn Ponga, 2 Shaun Kenny-Dowall, 3 Sione Mata’utia, 4 Tautau Moga, 5 Nathan Ross, 6 Connor Watson, 7 Mitchell Pearce (c), 8 Herman Ese’ese, 9 Slade Griffin, 10 Jacob Lillyman, 11 Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 12 Aidan Guerra, 13 Mitchell Barnett Interchange: 14 Brock Lamb, 15 Chris Heighington, 16 Jamie Buhrer (c), 17 Daniel Saifiti Reserves: 18 Ken Sio, 19 Jacob Saifiti, 20 Daniel Levi, 21 Luke Yates

The talking point: What will Ricky Stuart do with his spine this week? The cunning Canberra coach showed us his juggling skills in round one when he swapped and switched his halves and hooker. Aidan Sezer is named on the bench this week but don’t pencil that in just yet. Sticky could yet have some tricks up his sleeve.

The Fox Sports Lab stat: The Raiders have forgotten how to win close games. Since 2014 Canberra has lost 20 of 27 games decided by four points or less. That’s the second worst record in the competition ... behind only Newcastle.

The odds (courtesy of Sportsbet): Raiders $1.65, Knights $2.30

Our prediction: Raiders by 2