Latest news with #Slater
Otago Daily Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Maroons spurred on by jibes
Maroons captain Cameron Munster scores in the tackle of Blues player Jarome Luai in the second State of Origin game in Perth on Wednesday night. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Cameron Munster has revealed how public criticism of Billy Slater galvanised Queensland, admitting he was personally hurt by jabs taken at his coach in the lead-up to their State of Origin II victory. Slater's roller-coaster 42nd birthday ended with a 26-24 win on Wednesday night, 12 hours after he issued a public apology for a comment regarding the late Paul Green. The win has set up a decider in Sydney on July 9, with life breathed back into a series that appeared destined to be won by New South Wales after their dominant game one. Slater has come under fire from all quarters in the past three weeks, with Wednesday night always looming as a referendum on his decision to axe Daly Cherry-Evans. Questions have also circled around Queensland's performances and Slater's own future, with no Maroons coach having ever kept the job after two straight series losses. He was also labelled a "grub" by former NSW forward Aaron Woods, prompting his controversial response on Tuesday at an outdoor press conference in Perth's CBD. The criticism was also enough to spur on the Maroons, with Munster revealing how players wanted to stand up and play for the former Queensland fullback. "When you have someone jabbing at him like that, it really hurts. It hurts me personally," Munster said. "And when someone's having a jab at someone in your own backyard, you stand up on your back and want to get up and fight. "We needed to do that tonight. We were backs against the wall, no-one gave us a chance. "I love him, and I just want to do the best thing for Queensland, and the best thing for him, because he's not doing this for him, he's doing it for Queensland." Munster himself was brilliant, scoring a try and named man of the match after starring in Queensland's 26-6 first half. But the new Queensland captain is well aware the Maroons must be much better in Sydney, after letting NSW back into the game after the break and ending with four tries to their five. Regardless, Munster said the criticism of Slater for the Maroons' 18-6 series-opening loss at Suncorp Stadium last month was unwarranted. "He's our coach, and he's done everything he can to tick the boxes for us, and we didn't perform for him in game one," Munster said. "He got a lot of slack for it, and a lot of stuff in the media, and he didn't deserve it. "He's given us a great game plan, and we didn't execute in game one, and we did it tonight in the first half." — AAP
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Patriots legend Matthew Slater reveals the best special teamer in NFL
Patriots legend Matthew Slater reveals the best special teamer in NFL Some NFL fans view New England Patriots legend Matthew Slater as the greatest special teams player of all time. So Slater's opinion on who currently carries the distinction as the NFL's best special teamer is held in high regard. The resume speaks for itself when it comes to Slater, a 10-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro and a three-time Super Bowl champion. When appearing on the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast, Slater admitted he was biased, but he picked a clear winner for the NFL's best special teams player currently. 'I have a extreme bias, but to me it's Brenden Schooler,' said Slater, as transcribed by NESN's Sophie Weller. 'To me, there's really no weakness in his game. We always talk about covering kicks and making plays that impact coverage, but in the return game, it's very rare that the guy he's blocking will be even close to the football. He's a dominant player in the return game.' Schooler has certainly lived up to the hype. He was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2024, and he also made the Pro Bowl in 2025. As a rookie, he earned the PFWA All-Rookie Team honors in 2022, and he was named an NFLPA All-Pro in 2023. There is no replacing a legend like Slater on the Patriots' football team. However, Schooler has done a tremendous job of carving his own path to greatness. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Jay Slater and Nottingham attacks documentaries to air on Channel 4
Jay Slater and Nottingham attacks documentaries to air on Channel 4 he Disappearance Of Jay Slater will follow the story of the youngster who went missing in Tenerife Jay Slater's disappearance captured the nation last summer (Image: Supplied ) A documentary about British teenager Jay Slater, who died last year, and another about the 2023 Nottingham attacks are among the new factual programmes due to air on Channel 4. The Disappearance Of Jay Slater will follow the story of the youngster who went missing in Tenerife in 2024 and was found later dead, with exclusive access to film Mr Slater's post-mortem and funeral. The crew behind the documentary have been making it in collaboration with Mr Slater's family, with the programme also set to look at the conspiracy theories that stemmed from the story, the online abuse that the family still receive and the media coverage of the story. Rita Daniels, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said: "The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture. "We are so glad to be working with Anna on a sensitively handled exploration of the family's experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief. "The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell." Article continues below Produced by Candour Productions, it will also look at the world of online armchair detectives and the consequences of their actions. Another Channel 4 documentary, The Nottingham Attacks, will follow the families of Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, who were killed in a fatal knife attack by Valdo Calocane, a man who was known to police and mental health services, in 2023. The 90-minute show, produced by Banijay UK's documentaries label, DSP Films, will look at the families' campaign for truth and justice following the killings, and the way their confidence in the NHS and police was impacted by the incident. Anna Miralis, Channel 4 senior commissioning editor, said: "Channel 4 has an outstanding reputation for bold, topical and incredible access documentaries and The Nottingham Attacks is without doubt testament to this. "Boasting a stalwart of incredibly talented filmmakers, I am sure this will be an extremely powerful and sensitively considered documentary. "This is a vital and timely piece of storytelling of an appalling crime and will highlight the unimaginable impact it had on these remarkable families and show their unwavering desire to expose the truth." The channel is also due to release a documentary, produced by Passion Pictures, on the crimes of John Smyth, a senior figure at a Christian charity, who inflicted abuse on as many as 130 boys and young men. His crimes began in his family home and escalated over decades and across continents until he was eventually revealed by church insiders, with a review finding his crimes were covered up by senior church officials. Ms Miralis added: "This important film, made by a team of remarkable documentary makers, demonstrates the Channel's unflinching commitment to tackle difficult subject matter and provide the opportunity to those who have been silenced to speak out and share their experiences. Article continues below "This is the deeply disturbing story of a man who was able to escape culpability and evade justice, and pays tribute to the courage of those deeply affected. Passion has worked hard to build trust and ensure incredible access." The release dates for the standalone shows have not yet been announced.
Mercury
3 days ago
- Sport
- Mercury
Cameron Munster's X-rated victory speech as Queensland rock NSW in State of Origin Game 2 classic
Queensland has narrowly survived what would have been the biggest comeback in Origin history to tie the series up at 1-1 after an all-time classic. The Maroons strolled into halftime leading 26-6, but in appalling conditions, the Blues scored four second-half tries to make the score 26-24 with six minutes remaining. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But they were left to rue some missed shots on goal as they weren't able to add any more points to their total, with the Maroons sending the series to a decider in Sydney. After an unusually subdued build-up to Game 1, which NSW claimed 18-6 in Brisbane, a feud between Maroons coach Billy Slater and former Blue Aaron Woods dominated talk ahead of Game 2 in Perth. Woods called Slater a 'grub' last week, with the former fullback responding in an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday when he referenced mental health concerns and the death of former Queensland coach Paul Green. Slater, 41, then fronted another press conference on game day to apologise for those remarks in a saga that has quickly been labelled 'Grubgate'. It all created a slightly uncomfortable air ahead of Game 2, but it was all forgotten once they match got underway. After Brian To'o's sixth-minute try for the Blues, the Queenslanders caught fire, scoring four tries in 24 minutes to turn the match around. Laurie Daley's side had a mountain to climb in the second half and nearly pulled it off before falling just short in one of the better Origins in recent memory. And speaking after the match Queensland captain Cameron Munster said the whole team wanted to get the win for their coach. 'With all the pressure and criticism that Billy Slater has been getting, we're just glad we played for him tonight,' Munster said on Channel 9. 'He deserves everything, he loves Queensland and he loves this group. 'There's been a lot of speculation in the media, we needed to turn up for our coach tonight and we f-----g did.' After Game 1 was rubbished by many for lacking the usual Origin intensity, Game 2 hit all the right notes and we're now set for a huge finale as the Blues chase consecutive series wins. Recap how the night unfolded with our live updates below. Originally published as State of Origin Game 2: Maroons hang on in a classic
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘Unfortunate': Paul Green's family respond to Billy Slater
The brother of the late Paul Green has responded to Billy Slater's controversial comments on the eve of State of Origin II, accepting the Queensland coach's apology. Rick Green, a barrister in Brisbane, has spoken of his family's disappointment of the manner in which Paul's death was used by Slater in an emotional response to being called a grub by former Blues player Aaron Woods last week. The Green family are determined to educate the public that Paul died as a result of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and not as a result of a battle with depression, as implied by Slater in his press conference in Perth on Tuesday. Slater did not refer to Green by name but said: 'Although I might be able to handle [criticism], the next person mightn't be. Maybe our last coach [Green] didn't.' While the Green family are disappointed, they have accepted Slater's apology on Wednesday morning and have indicated their desire to speak with the Maroons coach at some stage in the aftermath of game two. 'The family regrets that Paul's name was brought into the current narrative and the manner this has been done,' Rick told this masthead on behalf of his mother and siblings. 'The family wants to reiterate that we love Queensland and its team. We also bear great respect for the person charged with the team's performance. 'It was unfortunate that Mr Slater made the reference that he did, but he has responded appropriately and apologised without reservation. We sincerely wish him the best in his role as the coach of our state team.' Slater on Wednesday apologised to the family of Green after referencing the late Queensland coach during an emotional State of Origin press conference on Tuesday.
