Sydney - Australia's Test fullback Billy Slater will miss the remainder of the National Rugby League season with a shoulder injury, his club Melbourne Storm said Friday.
Slater, 32, one of the superstars of the NRL competition, will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn joint in his left shoulder, which he sustained in Melbourne's match against the New Zealand Warriors in April.
"After Billy sustained the injury initially in Round 5 we knew he would require surgery at some stage," Storm football director Frank Ponissi said.
"While we would love to see Billy out on the field for the rest of the season, it was becoming harder for him to recover each week limiting his preparation for games."
Slater said it was an extremely tough decision to make, but it was in the best interests of his health and his club.
"After each game I play, the battle to get up for the next week is becoming harder and the shoulder takes longer to settle down, not allowing me to play to my full potential," Slater said.
"I'm extremely disappointed not to be available to play for Queensland in the final State of Origin game next month and especially for the rest of the season with Melbourne Storm."
Storm said Slater's current shoulder injury was not the same shoulder he had surgery on at the end of the 2014 season.
AFP
