After suffering a serious case of stage fright last year, Maori co-captain Adam Blair says his team are primed to come out swinging in Saturday’s NRL All Stars clash on the Gold Coast.
Blair admits the Maori All Stars were overwhelmed by the occasion when they ran out for the first time in their historic 2019 clash with their Indigenous rivals at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
Not that anyone who witnessed the Indigenous All Stars’ dominant 34-14 win had to be told.
The Indigenous boys ran amok from the outset, eventually piling on seven tries to three in an inauspicious start for the proud Maori group.
However, Blair claimed they had learned from their mistakes and would fight fire with fire from the outset at Cbus Super Stadium.
“I guess for us we had the opportunity to play in this and we were in a bit of awe about the whole thing and we stepped back and watched the game go by,” Blair said.
“But this time around we understand what it takes, we’ve seen how it works and for us it’s about going out there and getting it done.
“Like any team in any game you play you want to start good and build off the back of that.
“It’s about just being prepared to do whatever it takes for us to start fast.”
The Maori boys get their second shot at the All Stars clash after the NRL had toyed with a couple of options since first launching the concept back in 2010 on the Gold Coast.
The Indigenous outfit had been pitted against the NRL All Stars and a World team in a total of seven clashes with breaks in 2014 and 2016, winning four of them with the last three games held in Brisbane, Newcastle and Melbourne.
While much has been made of the All Stars clash returning “home” to the Gold Coast, Blair hoped a win for his side would help build support for the game to be eventually taken to New Zealand.
“We are really privileged to get an opportunity to represent our people. I know every Maori player in the NRL would love to be a part of this week, especially the guys who live in Australia who don’t get to indulge in their culture as much,” he said.
“I would love to keep this going and hopefully one day bring it back home and showcase our culture to the Indigenous boys in the NRL and everyone watching around the world.”
