Billy Slater has helped Jack Billings reach the best form of his career

It wasn’t long ago Jack Billings was struggling to deliver on the enormous potential he showed as a junior. But with the help of a Melbourne Storm legend, he’s become one of the form players in the AFL.

St Kilda midfielder Jack Billings has always been an interested NRL state-of-origin viewer, but he never envisaged one of the heroes of those bruising encounters would end up playing a role in his own leadership development.

But that’s the thing about retired Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater — he has always made a difference to those around him.

While there are a number of people who could take some of the credit for Billings’ career-best form and his growth as an emerging leader — most notably the man himself — there is little doubt Slater’s calm direction and insight has played a sizeable part.

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Slater’s part-time role at Moorabbin as a leadership mentor and sounding board initially raised a few eyebrows, given the cross code rivalries, but Billings says he has made a huge impact across the entire club.

“Billy Slater has been enormous for me,” Billings told the Herald Sun after his decision to recommit to the club for a further two seasons.

“He has really helped with our tackling, but he’s also done a lot with our culture and our leadership group.

“I’m in regular contact with him and we catch up quite a bit.

“The main thing I’ve learnt is that you have to be consistent in your performance. That’s the important thing with leadership in footy clubs and teams.

Jack Billings is playing the best footy of his career. Picture: Michael Klein

“It’s not about going out there and dominating. It is about playing your part of the team, and that has been a strength of ours this year. When we have played well, we’ve had 22 contributors, not just a couple of guys trying to drag us across the line.”

Billings, 23, was elevated into the St Kilda leadership group in March when Dylan Roberton stepped down to deal with his heart issues at the start of this season.

He’s thrived, both as a player and leader, with the added responsibility.

“Injuries have forced it upon me a little bit, but I’ve really enjoyed helping to lead the boys and trying to set the right example,” he said.

Form-wise, the 23-year-old has taken his game to a new level, evidenced by his 33-disposal, two-goal matchwinning effort against Gold Coast last week.

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He couldn’t be prouder of the resilience the Saints have showed in the face of injuries to key personnel, which has given younger players an opportunity they might otherwise not have received.

“I’ve been getting a massive thrill out of seeing some of the younger players who have stepped up this year,” Billings said. “We’ve had guys like (Rowan) Marshall, Cal Wilkie, Josh Battle, as well as guys like ‘Gresh’ (Jade Gresham), Daniel McKenzie, Jack Sinclair, and even Hunter Clark and Ben Paton.

“They’ve all got a lot of ability and it is just about putting your head down and understanding how hard AFL footy is, and working to improve ourselves as individuals and as a team.

“We’ve had a few obstacles this season, but that’s footy, and that’s life.”

He heard Saints great Nick Riewoldt speaking recently about how he was lucky enough to play with a core group of players throughout his career.

Billings says while his teammates have never really spoken about it, he feels the current group almost have an unwritten pact to stick together.

“The group we have coming through is really exciting,” he said.

“I often think back to when I first came to the club and how far we have come on and off the field. We’ve sort of taken the hard road, but we are there now.

“Clearly, there are no guarantees for us going forward, but myself and the others are so invested in what we are trying to achieve. We are looking forward to the future and hopefully giving the club and the supporters and everyone else some enjoyment and some success.”

Billings, who was pick 3 in the 2015 national draft, has always shown enormous talent, but consistency has been an issue.

He’s found that this season with devastating impact. On Saturday, against Brisbane Lions, he plays his 98th game, and he has been the Saints’ most dynamic player of 2019.

Billy Slater has made a big impact at the Saints. Picture: Michael Klein

Part of that has been his field kicking, and his kicking for goal (9.4), the latter which had been a point of conjecture in seasons past.

“The shots I have been having (at goal) have probably been a little easier,” he said modestly. “That’s the thing that ‘Ratts’ (assistant coach Brett Ratten) is big on.

“It’s OK to fail; it is OK to not be perfect at something. The good thing is you can have a choice and you can do something about it.

“I knew if I put the work in, it was going to put me in good stead.”

He credits the hard work of coach Alan Richardson, and assistant coaches including Brendon Lade (his midfield coach) and Brett Ratten, for creating a good environment where the young players are learning all the time.

Talking about putting the work in, Billings has been doing that this week.

On the same day he inked a new two-year deal with St Kilda, and completed this interview, he sat a human resources exam in his business degree at Monash University.

If his results mirror that of his footy in 2019, he shouldn’t be too worried about the outcome.

Originally published as Billy Slater has helped Jack Billings reach the best form of his career