Glass houses to a glass jaw: Why Slater went too far in the Origin theatre

Sydney Morning Herald

4 hours ago

The first victim of State of Origin is context.
For all the record ratings that the marquee series is able to generate come kick-off, it can be difficult to move the needle beforehand. The current series has been a hard sell for the beat reporters struggling to manufacture clicks.
The players we most want to hear from, Latrell Mitchell and Spencer Leniu, have slapped media bans on themselves; the opening encounter, at least as a spectacle, was not a patch on the absolute blockbuster finale that decided last year's series; and NSW basing themselves in the Blue Mountains has made the squad less accessible to a media contingent attempting to find some flames to fan.
The Blues' recent domination, coupled with limited access, is another contributing factor to making the Perth clash a tough sell.
So it was in this context that Aaron Woods, in an attempt to spark some interest and banter, got on the airwaves for his employers at Triple M and said the following.
'I want to see the real Billy Slater come out - the grub that we know of,' Woods said. 'This is a bloke who kicked John Skandalis in the head and got a six-week suspension.'
Given it was delivered on radio, we'll never know if it was done with a serious face. Regardless, it was an attempt to spark interest in the series, via a cheeky barb at a player who sometimes pushed boundaries on the field.
It was blokey, jokey and even a little hokey.