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Blair still in the dark on where he'll play next season
AARON LAWTON
July 18, 2010
MELBOURNE and Kiwis enforcer Adam Blair says he is no closer to resolving his future than he was two months ago.
The 24-year-old is not off contract in Melbourne until the end of next year but has been linked with the Warriors since the Storm were found to have rorted the NRL's salary cap in late April.
An audit by accounting firm Deloitte on the extent of the salary cap cheating was released last week, revealing the Storm will need to cut $1.3 million from their playing roster to field a legal team next year.
Initial media reports suggested the club was desperate to keep its top four players - Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis - and could release a spate of other stars to do so, Blair included.
But with Inglis being courted by other clubs and rugby, there's every chance Blair could now stay in Melbourne, even if he joked yesterday that journalists seemed to know more about what he was doing than he did.
When asked about a possible release from the final year of his contract, Blair said: ''Where are you reading that from? You have to stop reading the paper, mate, it's not good for you.''
But on a more serious note, Blair said he was yet to be told one way or another by the Storm what would be happening to him next year.
''The club's told me nothing,'' he said. ''I can't do anything until everything is sorted out by the club first. I don't know what's going to happen. When the options are on the table you sit down, think about it and go from there.''
It is understood that Blair is still on top of the Warriors' recruitment list. If he was to stay in Melbourne, then his Storm teammate Sika Manu could be of interest to the club.
Blair said, in the wake of the salary cap scandal, it had been one of the toughest years of his career.
''I guess it has been a tough year but I try to stay out of that stuff as much as I can,'' he said. ''I'm trying to concentrate on myself and it's not too bad.
''I do feel bad for some of the other boys but you just have to get out there and do your job on the weekend.
''It is tough not playing for points. You do want to be playing semi-final football after all. And if you've got no chance of doing that then it does become quite a hard season. At the same time, you just have to get out there, focus on what you do well and hopefully the team goes well too.''
Blair said it was also tough not knowing what his future held.
''It is hard but I know that I'm still contracted to the Storm for another year at this point in time,'' he said. ''I'm confident they want to keep me there and I'm happy to be part of the football club.''
Smith yesterday praised his teammates for the way they had backed each other in the wake of this year's salary cap scandal.
''I don't think it [this year] has tested my leadership too much,'' the Storm skipper said. ''You'd have to ask others. I know I've got the 'c' next to my name but I've had help from the coaches and the staff at the club.
''It hasn't been a case of, 'You're the captain, you look after everyone'. We believe we're a close-knit club. We look after everyone's backs not just our own.''
AARON LAWTON
July 18, 2010
MELBOURNE and Kiwis enforcer Adam Blair says he is no closer to resolving his future than he was two months ago.
The 24-year-old is not off contract in Melbourne until the end of next year but has been linked with the Warriors since the Storm were found to have rorted the NRL's salary cap in late April.
An audit by accounting firm Deloitte on the extent of the salary cap cheating was released last week, revealing the Storm will need to cut $1.3 million from their playing roster to field a legal team next year.
Initial media reports suggested the club was desperate to keep its top four players - Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis - and could release a spate of other stars to do so, Blair included.
But with Inglis being courted by other clubs and rugby, there's every chance Blair could now stay in Melbourne, even if he joked yesterday that journalists seemed to know more about what he was doing than he did.
When asked about a possible release from the final year of his contract, Blair said: ''Where are you reading that from? You have to stop reading the paper, mate, it's not good for you.''
But on a more serious note, Blair said he was yet to be told one way or another by the Storm what would be happening to him next year.
''The club's told me nothing,'' he said. ''I can't do anything until everything is sorted out by the club first. I don't know what's going to happen. When the options are on the table you sit down, think about it and go from there.''
It is understood that Blair is still on top of the Warriors' recruitment list. If he was to stay in Melbourne, then his Storm teammate Sika Manu could be of interest to the club.
Blair said, in the wake of the salary cap scandal, it had been one of the toughest years of his career.
''I guess it has been a tough year but I try to stay out of that stuff as much as I can,'' he said. ''I'm trying to concentrate on myself and it's not too bad.
''I do feel bad for some of the other boys but you just have to get out there and do your job on the weekend.
''It is tough not playing for points. You do want to be playing semi-final football after all. And if you've got no chance of doing that then it does become quite a hard season. At the same time, you just have to get out there, focus on what you do well and hopefully the team goes well too.''
Blair said it was also tough not knowing what his future held.
''It is hard but I know that I'm still contracted to the Storm for another year at this point in time,'' he said. ''I'm confident they want to keep me there and I'm happy to be part of the football club.''
Smith yesterday praised his teammates for the way they had backed each other in the wake of this year's salary cap scandal.
''I don't think it [this year] has tested my leadership too much,'' the Storm skipper said. ''You'd have to ask others. I know I've got the 'c' next to my name but I've had help from the coaches and the staff at the club.
''It hasn't been a case of, 'You're the captain, you look after everyone'. We believe we're a close-knit club. We look after everyone's backs not just our own.''
