Though Slater himself revealed less than a month ago he was no certainty to return, Smith is very confident his fullback will be back.
"The good news is Billy Slater will play this year," Smith told The Courier-Mail.
"I don’t have an exact date, but it will be earlier rather than later — the good thing is that the fans will see Billy Slater back on the field again.
"The coaches as far as I know haven’t put any pressure on him to be fit for round one, we’d love him to be there but if he feels he’s not right to go, it’s his decision."