After 15 predictable years, Adam Blair’s brain and body have been woken up by a timely NRL coaching change at the Warriors.
Blair, 34, will co-captain the Maori All Stars on Saturday night against the Indigenous All Stars before what he admits might be his final season of NRL.
But the addition of former Wallabies and rugby sevens fitness guru Craig Twentyman to Stephen Kearney’s staff might keep Blair around longer, having debuted in 2006 for Melbourne.
Fresh off a World Cup campaign with the Wallabies and there for the women’s rugby sevens Olympic gold in Rio, New Zealand product Twentyman has encouraged change since replacing Alex Corvo as head of performance.
A low-key walk-through on game eve will replace the high-intensity captain’s run, while sessions have been shorter, sharper and with more ball work to improve the Warriors’ skill execution under duress.
“I’ve been around 15 years and trained the same way for a lot of that time, but there’s a new philosophy at the club this year,” he told AAP.
“It’s made me use my brain and start thinking more after 15 years of muscle memory doing the same stuff.
“It’s an eye opener to a lot of the parts of the body I haven’t used properly, compared to pre-season in the past where I haven’t had to think because my body knew what’s coming.
“So I feel ready to go, happy, refreshed and excited to see what the year brings.”
The veteran has relished another tour with the Maori All Stars after the initiative’s successful introduction last year and hopes New Zealand can one day play host.
“It’s a unique, special week and that’d be the ultimate to bring the Aussie indigenous boys back to show them the way we live and breath our culture,” he said.
“We all speak the same language, have the same formalities and is taught since the kindy so it’s in your system from day dot.”