Kiwis captain linked with move to Warriors
Kiwis captain Adam Blair continues to be linked with a move to the Warriors but the final decision on whether he returns to New Zealand will ultimately lie with Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett.
Blair is contracted at the Broncos until the end of 2018 but Bennett said yesterday he has given the 31-year-old permission to negotiate with rival clubs for an early release.
‘‘We’ve been asked about that and told him to go have a look around and come back and talk to us,’’ Bennett said.
It is understood the Broncos would be prepared to part ways with Blair if he receives a formal long-term offer from a rival club.
Stuff first reported the Warriors’ interest in Blair in May, and the club’s managing director Jim Doyle confirmed this week they were keen on signing the veteran prop should he become available.
Australia’s Daily Telegraph reported that the Warriors are prepared to offer Blair a four-year contract, although they face competition from St George Illawarra.
Following Brisbane’s defeat to the Warriors in Auckland in May, Blair said he and his family were settled in Brisbane and his preference was to remain at the Broncos. He said money was not a motivating factor but given his age and at this stage of his career, the long-term security of a four-year deal may be hard to resist.
That also comes with plenty of risk to the Warriors, but there is no doubt he would provide a harder edge to a pack that has struggled for much of the season.
Working in the Warriors’ favour is his relationship with Stephen Kearney, who first coached Blair during his role as an assistant at the Melbourne Storm in 2006.
Blair was a regular in Kearney’s Kiwis sides, cocaptaining the squad during the 2015 tour of the UK, while they also worked together for two years at Brisbane before Kearney left to take over the Warriors.
Any release would have to be signed off by Bennett, who has a high opinion of the former Storm and Tigers enforcer and would be reluctant to let a player of his calibre leave early.
However, Brisbane have been on an aggressive recruitment drive recently, re-signing nine players as well as luring NSW Origin utility Jack Bird to the club. Skipper Darius Boyd is also poised to sign a lucrative extension.
While uncertainty remains over next year’s salary cap, there have been reports that it could be set at A$9.2 million, much lower than what many clubs have budgeted for.
There is no suggestion that the Broncos are under any cap pressure, but should they need to free up some space it would make sense to release Blair and the Warriors would be in a position to take advantage.