Billy Slater has confirmed that he will hang up his boots at the end of the campaign.
The Melbourne Storm star hd already called time on his representative career earlier this year and has now decided that he will retire from all rugby league at the end of the NRL season.
Slater has played 16 seasons at the highest level of rugby league, scoring 187 NRL tries in 313 games for Melbourne.
On his decision to retire at the season’s end, the 35-year-old said: “The decision has been with me for a while now.
“It’s not one that I’ve taken lightly. I didn’t want to make the decision any earlier, I wanted to sit on it for a while to make the right decision. If I didn’t there would be a lot of regrets.
“I thought it could possibly be my last, and I was treating it like that. It wasn’t until halfway through the year, I was starting to lean towards this year. I just wanted to give it a little more time to make the right decision.
“I would hate to go halfway through the year and lost that want to put the body on the line 100%. I don’t want to empty the tank, then call it a day. I’d rather have a little bit in reserve.
“To Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, not only have you both created opportunities for me on the field, but when your peers drive themselves to be the best and continually succeed, that’s infectious. This is why you two have had the greatest influence on my career.”
In his representative career, Slater scored 27 tries in 30 Tests for Australia and 12 tries in 31 Queensland appearances.