In round 19, 2002, Slade debuted for the Geelong Football Club. He played four senior games in his first year. Slade managed only 11 games between 2002 and 2005 due to chronic osteitis pubis.
Slade was delisted and redrafted in after the 2005 season. He played the first seven games of the 2006 season and had a big impact in the 2006 pre-season final.[1]
Slade was delisted again at the end of the 2006 season,[2] and despite training with Hawthorn prior to the pre-season draft,[3] was not selected.