Adam Blair: I'm value for money at Warriors

The Kiwis captain has signed a three-year contract at Mt Smart. Photo / Photosport

Adam Blair is adamant he can provide value for the Warriors over the next three seasons, despite concerns over the length of his deal.

The Kiwis captain has signed a three-year contract at Mt Smart, that will see him playing beyond his 34th birthday in the 2020 season. That would represent incredible longevity in a sport that gets more physical every year, especially in the forwards.

Ryan Hoffman is a relevant case in point. Despite a good attitude and application, his overall output declined across his three years at the Warriors.

He was strong in his first campaign (2015), but over the last two seasons, struggled to match the high standards set with the Melbourne Storm.

Hoffman also started to pick up niggling injuries, perhaps a consequence of the workload required in such an underperforming team.

Blair has been in first grade since 2006 and has made more than 266 appearances in the engine room. But he is adamant there is still a lot more to give.

"I do look after my body pretty well," he told Tony Veitch on Newstalk ZB. "I've been very lucky throughout my career [with injuries] and I do make a lot of sacrifices throughout the year.

"If I keep doing those things, then 100 per cent I've got that left in me. I still love the game, I enjoy being challenged -- those young players will bring that out of me -- and I'm a competitor and I hate losing. If I challenge them, they challenge me."

Blair also played down concerns about his aggressive style on the field. He was regularly under the microscope at the Broncos, even during the most recent finals series, for his tendency to play at the margins of the laws. He was singled out by several Australian pundits for a late shot on Cooper Cronk in the preliminary final loss to the Storm, although Warriors chief executive Cameron George immediately defended his player.

Blair says it's not an issue, pointing out he has been summoned to the NRL judiciary only three times in the past six years.

"I play hard and I play fair, at times on the line of everything," said Blair. "I guess that is the competitor that I am and I want to do my job to the best of my abilities because I don't want to let my team-mates down.

"At times, it could be over the top but if I was going too far, I would be in the judiciary [more] over the last six years. If I wasn't competing, why would I play?"

Blair's leaving a club with a proven record of success, who have gone deep into the playoffs for the past three years under one of the most successful coaches in the game, for a team that hasn't been in the finals since 2011. So why the switch from Red Hill to Mt Smart?

"I wasn't guaranteed anything after my next contract [in Brisbane]," said Blair. "There are risks in everything that we do as footballers and I wanted to make sure there was security for myself, my family, first and foremost ... and I wanted to help the Warriors. Coming from here, it has been a part of me since I left, and I wanted to help them get back on the right track."

•Full interview with Adam Blair on Newstalk ZB at 1pm.