Queensland league coach Billy Slater has apologised for bringing the death of previous mentor Paul Green into a spat with former New South Wales prop Aaron Woods

Ahead of tonight's second State of Origin match in Perth - Woods claimed on Sydney radio that Slater is a "grub".

Biting back yesterday, the Maroons coach questioned Woods' right to have a voice in the media, before referencing Green, who took his own life in 2022.



Slater has now apologised hours out from kickoff - acknowledging a post-mortem found Green had been living with a severe and undiagnosed case of degenerative head trauma.