Staff Adam Blair

[bruce]

Thoughts on his performances for the season? Good buy? Average of 50 odd metres per game, 1 missed tackle per 9 made. Does the 1%ers, but also makes some diabolical brainfarts for what is a senior player in the team.

Happy with the buy? 2 more years on ~650k left.

The fittest player in the team except Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Leads by example and provides confidence for the younger players. Probably overpriced like Green and Shaun Johnson but that is what happens when a club has to go begging for decent players. Has brain farts but that goes along with his high speed attitude to the game. You know when he isn't on the field.

 

[Off The Bench]

He plays to the limit of the rules .Bound to cross the line now an again.
But he adds to the balance of the team
So he's a big part of how we play .
Also him an Harris are good link men .An our
Passing between the forwards has been a big part
Of our success .One out hit ups without support was a
Big part of our forward failings in previous years
So a big yes from me .
Also his age isn't that important .I'd rather have
Our more cunning an experienced Blair than the
Younger version .

 

[Defence]

Tough one this.
His on field contribution doesn't seem to match that sort of pay packet. His stats are diabolical.
Hard to quantify what he contributed off the field though.

 

[Fazz]

Totally happy with the buy. As I've said, I think we get more value for Blair lifting those around him (the obvious 'play on, Luke' example) than from his individual stats. If he's getting guys like Bunty or Paasi or Luke to push that little bit harder, and it seems like he is, I'm totally fine with his middling stats.

 

[eudebrito]

Also spent alot of time out of position on the edge, where he was really good defensively for a 32 year old, not going to get much out of him on attack there obviously, but consider they had to station him and Papali'i there because Mannering was getting hoffman'ed at times.

Apart from an avoidable late shot here and there, his discipline was pretty good, penalties / minutes played he was behind Luke, Tevaga, Papali'i, Paasi, Gavet, Pulu and Mannering, all the regular forwards bar Afoa and Harris. So remember that next time someone brings him up as a liability grub.

He stays in good condition, so the final year of the contract might be grim, but expect another good year from him next time out.

Possibly just biased towards players who look like they have passion to be out there, too many years of watching Ben looking like he was ready for a nap. Even if his running metres will always look terrible.

 

[drunk_monk]

Yea I was in the lightly skeptical about his age camp but very happy with what he brought to the squad this year.

 

[rugged]

Adam Blair was bought in to help change culture and be an enforcer. He has helped with our line speed on defence. We will be paying too much for him and Blake Green in 2020 but they made the call to try and turn around the club. If we had failed in 2018 and 2019 the club may have been in danger of existing in 2020.

 

[matiunz]

I’ve been relatively happy with him, brings experience from clubs with good systems and brings a bit of grub- both of which we were missing

 

[bruce]

Thoughts on his performances for the season? Good buy? Average of 50 odd metres per game, 1 missed tackle per 9 made. Does the 1%ers, but also makes some diabolical brainfarts for what is a senior player in the team.

Happy with the buy? 2 more years on ~650k left.

Average 32 tackles a game with 89% efficiency.
Average 54.3 running metres
Zero leadership effect. Way past his use by date.

I was more optimistic last season, but this season I am really disappointed. The guy has been a total waste of money doing little more than players on 25% of his pay. No club can tolerate that. Put him in ISP immediately, let some other bunch of suckers have the guy. If there is one player who might cost SK his job it could be Blair.

 

[Pozza]

Average 32 tackles a game with 89% efficiency.
Average 54.3 running metres
Zero leadership effect. Way past his use by date.

I was more optimistic last season, but this season I am really disappointed. The guy has been a total waste of money doing little more than players on 25% of his pay. No club can tolerate that. Put him in ISP immediately, let some other bunch of suckers have the guy. If there is one player who might cost SK his job it could be Blair.

Reckon he might have played one season too many

 

[Rizzah]

If we are prepared to give Blair 650K

Blair is on $2.4Mil over 3 years = $800k per season.
EDIT
He's not on $800k a year.
it's $1.95mil over 3 years or $650k a season.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/leagu...o-sign-with-warriors-for-three-years-not-four

 

[Rizzah]

I think he still has value - his scramble is good. I don't think he's an 80min player though.
Having him on in the final 10-15mins of each half, to add some leadership when we are under fatigue - whether that's a spell of 30 (first half) and 20 (second half), I'm not sure.

 

[Panther]

Blair is on $2.4Mil over 3 years = $800k per season.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/...o-sign-with-warriors-for-three-years-not-four

I think the 2.4 was when they were talking 4 seasons?

 

[dean]

Single handedly lost us the Cowboys game. Got in the way when we had a certain try, dropped the ball and then interference that denied a try. In between did fuck all except run about, concede a few penalties and flop on half tackled players. Sell him to Toronto for whatever we can get. Stupid signing in the first place given cost and age but what would the fans know.

 

[Rizzah]

That's not so bad then.
$650k is reasonable for a rep player, considering where we were in 2017 (13th).

 

[bruce]

I think he still has value - his scramble is good. I don't think he's an 80min player though.
Having him on in the final 10-15mins of each half, to add some leadership when we are under fatigue - whether that's a spell of 30 (first half) and 20 (second half), I'm not sure.

That is worth $800k a year? A blind man can see he is the worst value signing since Sam Tompkins.

 

[Mr Brownstone]

That's not so bad then.
$650k is reasonable for a rep player, considering where we were in 2017 (13th).

Blair deserves to still earn a 'rep player' salary as much as Josh Morris still does. If he were Australian then Blair wouldn't have played rep football since 2011 when he left Melbourne. Only $350k less than a salary that was supposedly significantly higher than what Shaun Johnson was worth? Zero consistency.

 

[Rizzah]

He's not on $800k a year.
it's $1.95mil over 3 years or $650k a season.

The Warriors are set to announce Adam Blair has signed to the club on a three-year deal for $650,000 a season, totalling $1.95-million.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/leagu...o-sign-with-warriors-for-three-years-not-four

 

[Rizzah]

That's a nonsense argument, if he were Australian. He could have been arguably a better player being born in Aus, they have a much stronger junior system. Or not played at all.

Blair was a Rep player when we signed him, playing for a top team. We were 13th, and needed more experienced players. Blair had all the cards.
It was also a 12 months later that we encountered the Shaun Johnson fiasco - different times/different thinking.

 

[Mr Brownstone]

That's a nonsense argument, if he were Australian. He could have been arguably a better player being born in Aus, they have a much stronger junior system.

Blair was a Rep player when we signed him, playing for a top team. We were 13th, and needed more experienced players. Blair had all the cards.
It was also a 12 months later that we encountered the Shaun Johnson fiasco - different times/different thinking.

Your first paragraph is what is nonsense. He has been mostly average ever since leaving the Storm which was a long time ago. The same criticism of Blair that we are seeing now was being made way back in his first season as a Tiger. You can disagree all you want however plenty of Kiwi reps would never get a look in for Origin or Australia - since about 2012 that applies to Blair.