Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy breathed a huge sigh of relief when his brilliant fullback Billy Slater won the Dally M Medal as the NRL"s best and fairest player of 2011. Bellamy stood down Slater for the Storm"s final home-and-away game against the Roosters in Sydney on Sunday to freshen him for the finals.It was thought this had given the inside running to Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall to claim the coveted award.But at a glittering black-tie function in Sydney last night,Slater held off a fast-finishing Marshall to top the medal count with 29.