Grubgate: Gallen slams "cringey" Slater for rehearsed speech

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Former NSW Blues prop Aaron Woods has responded to Billy Slater's claim that he made "derogatory" comments towards him in the lead-up to State of Origin Game II in Perth but says the Maroons coach went way too far in his return of serve.

The stoush between the pair started when Woods called Slater a grub.

On Tuesday Slater fired back at a press conference in Perth and preached a message around mental health making reference to former Queensland coach Paul Green who lost his battle with mental health in 2022.

On Wednesday, Woods said he had no issue with Slater's remarks but believes he overstepped the mark when invoking the memory of Green. Slater has since apologised.

Re-cap how an explosive day played out below.

5:45pm Apology accepted

SEN Run Home co-host and former rugby league star Joel Caine has come out in defence of Slater and scolded Woods for going too far in the first place.

He has also called for everyone to acknowledge that people make mistakes.

"As a country we come across like we’re rock solid," he said on SEN 1170.

"What are my views? Woody went too far, he made it personal, and I get his explanation that he’s trying to fire up Origin.

"Slater, at the time it was wrong to mention Green, he’s come out and apologised. We’ve all made mistakes.

"The apology from Billy felt very very real. I’ve made so many mistakes I can’t climb over them.

"He’s made a mistake, he was defensive, defending himself and his state. For what it’s worth, apology accepted."

4:35pm Gallen: Slater made me cringe

Former NSW captain Paul Gallen has added his voice to those criticising Billy Slater's comments, saying he was taken aback by how personally the Maroons coach took the slur.

"When I first saw it and Billy’s response I did cringe," Gallen told the *Run Home with Joel and Fletch.

"For me it was rehearsed, and it wasn’t great – it hasn’t turned out that way. I’m sure as we know, Billy has come out and regretted, taken it back and apologised.

"There are certain situations in the game that the less said about it the better. At the end of the day, Spencer Leniu was called a grub a few weeks ago, I was called a grub my whole career. No one was worried about us.

"This is part and parcel of Origin. I was shocked Billy took it so personally.

"I wish I’d have known Billy got rattled by the media this much we might have tried to get stuck into him more. They were too good for us, had we known we could have rattled him we might have done it more."

4:05pm Parker weighs in

Until Slater kicked off on Woods, Corey Parker had been lamenting what he feels is a dying excitement around Origin.

"Up until yesterday to be honest it’s been a super quiet build up to a big game in Perth," he told Andy and Gazey on SEN 1116. "It’s been subdued until yesterday afternoon when Billy blew it out of the water.

"If I’m being honest I was surprised on the level of emotion we saw from Billy. He obviously wanted to get something off his chest, and he did that. But again, today he’s said an apology to Amanda Green in regards to Paul.

"Let’s look at it for what it is. It’s an Origin game tonight and that’s what we should be talking about.

"They (QLD) were blown off the park in the first 15, they can’t afford that again.

"But this is all over social and the front and back pages. How they deal with it will be an individual thing. Ultimately, they have a job to do and its do or die.

"If they can’t get it done they face going to Sydney to avoid a whitewash."

2:35pm 'It was premeditated'

Billy Slater's emotional response to Aaron Woods was well prepared, according to SENQ's Ian Healy.

That's not to say he is criticising the Maroons coach, but as he saw it, Slater was prepared and just sitting waiting for the question to be asked.

"Premeditated probably," Healy said on SENQ Breakfast. "He’s been stewing over that for a week and he had his intended response if he ever got asked.

"I just wish he didn’t pull Greeny into it.

"It’s a very hefty get back in your box to Woods and that is the tension we want in Origin, we don’t have to pull it into the realms of mental health but just leave it a tension between two states.

"I’m sick of NSW disrespecting out legends. Are we getting complacent with Origin?"

11:05am SLATER APOLOGISES

Less than 18 hours after making the comments he was forced into making a public apology during which he revealed he had spoken with Green's widow and apologised.

“Yesterday I wrongly made the link between Paul Green’s death and the stress and pressures of coaching, which wasn’t accurate nor was it appropriate,” Slater said in a statement to reporters.

“I feel terrible about what I said and I spoke to Amanda Green this morning and apologised for any hurt that it may have caused her and her family .

“I just want to say this, Paul had CTE. It’s a different disease to what I was referring to . Once again I’m deeply and genuinely sorry. Thank you.”

9:45am WOODS ON WEDS MORNING

“It’s a hard position he’s in at the moment,” Woods said on Triple M.

“He’s lost game one of the series up in Queensland.

“He’s coming off a losing series which was a decider in Queensland as well.

"I just thought Billy went a little bit over the boundary. I just think it was completely unnecessary for the situation."

8:45am SEN'S VOSS SLAMS SLATER

SEN's Andrew Voss held a similar opinion and believes Slater has unnecessarily re-opened painful wounds for the Green family.

"Paul Green was diagnosed after his death by suicide with CTE," Voss said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

"His wife, Amanda, stated at the time that the CTE diagnosis provided some closure for the family and explained his changes in behaviour.

"That's where it had to be left. You cannot bring the memory of Paul Green into anything that happened here between Billy Slater and Aaron Woods.

"It's wrong and you can't do that out of respect.

"I think Billy was out of order referencing the late Paul Green. He went too far.

"Deal with your own response but don't bring others into it. That was beyond talking about Origin.

"Maybe Billy regrets that but the way he delivered it, it wasn't off the cuff."

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What happened earlier

Slater had accused Woods of misusing his “privileged” media position after the former NSW prop’s “grub” comments earlier in the week.

At a press conference ahead of Origin II, Slater slammed Woods’ for his “derogatory” comments directed at Slater, after the Queensland coach dropped captain Cherry-Evans ahead of Game II.

Slater also made reference to Paul Green, the late Queensland coach who lost his battle with mental health in 2022.

“When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don’t deserve one of those privileged positions that you’re all in, that we’re all in,” Slater said.

“Although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn’t be.

“Maybe our last coach didn’t.

“When you hold a position in the media or in our game, I feel that’s a privilege and with that privilege comes a responsibility.

“I sit in that position most weeks and you amplify your voice to millions of people.

“I believe the character of a person is judged more on what they say about people and how they treat people than what an individual says to create attention about someone.

“I get that. Our game creates attention, but there’s a responsibility with that attention.”

Matty Johns weighs in

Reacting to the news, prominent NRL media identity Matty Johns said that when you make comments about figures in the game, you have to expect responses.

“Whether it's in banter, theatre, whatever it is, if you do say something about someone, and it is personal, then you hand them immediately a right of reply, and Billy's used that right of reply, and he's certainly taken a long handle to it,” Johns said on SEN 1170 Drive.

“I have no doubt that Woodsy's (Aaron Woods) building up the theatre.

“He's on Triple M, and Breakfast radio is all about… say this, make an impact and give us some attention and, you know, I have no problem with it.

“When he said, first of all, Billy's (Slater) a grub, I sort of thought… it's a bit of fun and then… I thought this is sort of starting to get into the personal area.

“I'm just always mindful, they get there sometimes and people will try to gee you up and say… have a shot… but I might take a shot across the bow at someone and you'll run the other way, and I'm left with it.

“I reckon in his heart of hearts, Woodsy just meant it purely as banter but it hasn't been taken that way and when you say something like that to somebody, then you run the risk of that.”

Joel & Fletch have their say

SEN 1170 Drive hosts Joel Caine and Bryan Fletcher think Slater’s comments will be used by Queensland players for inspiration ahead of tomorrow’s crucial Origin match.

“Maybe this is what the game needs, it’s going to fire this up,” Caine said on SEN 1170 Drive

“Billy (Slater) has got emotional here, he’s going to have them firing,” Fletcher also commented.”

Origin Game II will be played in Perth tomorrow, with NSW looking to win the series.