‘Dirty’ Blair says he is an easy target for critics
Five months after he was slammed as one of rugby league’s ‘‘dirtiest’’ players following an incident in the transTasman test, New Zealand forward Adam Blair says he remains an ‘‘easy target’’ for criticism.
Blair’s chicken wing tackle on Brisbane teammate Sam Thaiday in May’s Anzac test attracted withering attacks with former Australia captain Gorden Tallis labelling him ‘‘the dirtiest player on the field’’.
Early tomorrow Blair goes into his third green-and-gold rematch, in the Four Nations final, but Thaiday will miss the clash due to an injury caused by another of the game’s constants, James Graham’s head.
‘‘I’m starting to get used to it,’’ Blair said of the criticism. ‘‘To be honest, I think sometimes I’m an easier target, being a kind of older guy. Not a highprofile [player], but a guy who’s played a lot of games. I just go about doing my stuff. That’s how I’ve been my whole career. I try to stay out of the media as much as I can.
‘‘As you get older, you get used to this stuff. It comes with the job. You get annoyed with it, but what do you do? You have to go out there and perform.’’
Blair is philosophical about last week’s draw with Scotland and took a fatalistic approach to the EnglandAustralia game on Sunday, which determined if the Kiwis were to go home.
‘‘I didn’t watch it,’’ he said. ‘‘No matter what happened, aside from if we lost [to Scotland], it was always going to be in the Aussies’ hands.
‘‘Whatever happened was meant to be.’’
Speculation that Blair is about to join Wigan has swirled around the north of England this week.
Asked if there was a chance of him leaving the Broncos – where he is contracted for another two years – early, Blair said: ‘‘I don’t want to. I think I’m still playing some decent footy. It’s the first I’ve heard of it.’’
Darius Boyd, a clubmate at Brisbane and rival on Monday, says that contrary to Blair’s image as an agitator, ‘‘he’s a credit to the club and the game.’’
‘‘He does a lot of community work outside rugby league,’’ Boyd said. ‘‘He doesn’t talk a lot, but he brings all the young guys along, especially the Polynesian ones and the Kiwi boys.’’
Australia back-rower Trent Merrin added: ‘‘He’s a tough player, a tough competitor.
‘‘If you look around the whole NRL, you get a few players that throw a bit of niggle in there and play the game the same way. That’s what rugby league’s about.’’ The Sun-Herald