‘I’m Not Finished Yet’: An Emotional Billy Slater Responds to Aaron Woods’ ‘Degrading’ Sledge with a Sharp Retort

Billy Slater has issued a heartfelt and passionate reaction to Aaron Woods following the former Blues prop’s recent comments, branding him a “grub” during a radio segment last week.

Woods unleashed his critique of the Queensland coach on Triple M, spurred on by Slater’s decision to omit Daly Cherry-Evans from the lineup for the second game of the State of Origin series.

The remarks made by Woods have sparked a divide in the rugby league community, with some arguing they brought added tension to an otherwise lacklustre series, while others contend that the ex-Wests Tigers star crossed the line by turning it personal.

When Slater was prompted to share his thoughts on Woods’ comments at the captain’s call press conference held on Tuesday afternoon, the atmosphere shifted noticeably.

“Do you genuinely want me to respond to that?” the coach asked.

“Holding a media position within our sport is a privilege, and with that privilege comes a responsibility. I occupy that role most weeks [on Nine], reaching millions of viewers – it’s not just a chat with mates at the pub.”

“I know Aaron Woods; I bumped into him about three or four weeks ago at a game, and he didn’t express that sentiment then — he even brought his son over to introduce him to me.”

“I draw attention in our game, but that attention carries a degree of responsibility.”

“Making personal, derogatory remarks about someone is not something that should be tolerated in our privileged positions.”

The crowd in Perth responded with applause and cheers for Slater’s comments, but he continued to elaborate further.

“I haven’t finished yet,” he declared.

“You can’t know what others are experiencing, and while I may handle it well, the next person might not… perhaps our previous coach didn’t.”

“The measure of a person’s character is often reflected in how they speak about and treat others, rather than the attention-seeking comments made about someone else.”

“There’s your answer.”

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Slater’s reference to the ‘last coach’ alluded to Paul Green, who tragically passed away the following year after coaching Queensland in 2021.

Maroons captain Cameron Munster, who has a long-standing connection with Slater from their time together at the Melbourne Storm, admitted that Woods’ comments affected the team deeply, noting that they now feel compelled to “stand up” for their coach.

“When you have someone like Billy Slater as your coach, established in the game, it hits a bit hard – particularly from specific individuals,” he remarked.

“At the end of the day, they’re involved in the media and we have a lot of pressure on us right now. He is facing considerable scrutiny, but he’s exerting every effort he can.

“We need to rally behind him, and we must do that tomorrow night.”

The Queensland side had to wait for their Blues rivals to arrive onstage, delaying proceedings by 10 minutes. However, Munster dismissed any implications of mind games.

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