Legendary custodian Billy Slater says James Tedesco has the Sydney Roosters to thank for his elevation to the status of the NRL’s best fullback.

Tedesco’s ascendancy to the title vacated by Slater’s retirement last season was completed this week with the Roosters’ No.1 voted Dally M medal winner.

Ahead of Sunday’s NRL grand final against Canberra, Slater said he could see the growth in Tedesco’s game since his arrival at Bondi from Wests Tigers two years ago.

“There’s so many different elements to a fullback’s game to make it fully rounded and you see where James Tedesco is right now,” Slater said.

“I truly believe that being at the Roosters and having the quality of player(s) around him – the likes of Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk and even guys like Boyd Cordner – that would help James’ game.

“It takes a long time to fully round your skills in that position.”

Slater said there were nuances to fullback play that weren’t always obvious to a casual observer but he could see them in Tedesco’s game.

“It’s an extremely technical position. You’ve got to be savvy in so many parts of the game to be able to set your defence well,” he said.

“You’ve got to be able to communicate that to your team with limited time available so your vocab has got to be efficient and then you’ve got to do well with what everyone sees.

“You’ve got to contribute with getting the ball out of trouble, you’ve got to link with your outside men, set up little plays in and around the ruck with your dummy half.”

Anthony Minichiello skippered the Sydney Roosters to their last NRL premiership in 2013, marshalling the steely defence from fullback.

Minichiello, who played in six grand finals for the Roosters for two titles, agreed Tedesco had taken his game to a new high.

“His game has gone to another level since last year so he’s definitely a key for us,” said Minichiello.

“We’re seeing the complete game from him.”

He said that Tedesco’s relationship with the Roosters’ other playmakers, Keary and Cronk, had continued to develop which would give them an edge over the Raiders as they look to claim back-to-back premierships.

“Definitely he (Tedesco) and Keary have the biggest impact on our side,” said.

“There’s no doubt about their attacking ability, and the way Teddy organises the defensive line is so important to our defence.”