Billy Slater has jumped on the bandwagon and signed a contract extension with the Melbourne Storm. He will play with the club until at least the end of the 2012 season.
You don’t need me to tell you how good Slater played last year and how he is probably a top 5 player in the game right now.
I’m starting to get a theory on the best players in the game though…
The best players, and I’m talking about the guys that are not an off field issue, guys who are good players but also pretty level headed too, they sign their contracts before the last season of their current contract kicks off.
Maybe it shows the greater mentality of these guys that they want their futures sorted early, they want to know where their career is headed, they don’t want a big media circus surrounding them and they just get the job done.
That’s not to say great ALL players don’t end up in the position of signing their next contract close to June 30, but its a pretty good guide to level headedness if you think about it.
Look at the likes of say Andrew Johns, Sonny Bill Williams, Todd Carney or a Willie Mason. Talent, you bet your arse, however are these the guys who you imagine being a settling influence on the younger players at their club?
Maybe that’s one of those unrealized markers of a players temperament. At the very least its something to watch for over the next few seasons.
