Rugby league: Adam Blair admits Warriors may have been complacent ahead of NRL loss to Tigers

Adam Blair of the Warriors. Photo / Getty

Senior Warriors forward Adam Blair admits the team may have been complacent heading into their match against the Tigers last Sunday.

The Auckland-based team lacked intensity, aggression and polish in a disappointing display, falling away badly in the second half to lose 34-6.

While the final margin flattered the Tigers, coach Stephen Kearney stated after the game there was a "touch of attitude" missing and some players didn't show up.

Blair confirmed that hypothesis, saying complacency could have crept in after their convincing round one victory over the Bulldogs.

"Maybe subconsciously, yeah," said Blair. "I've been around for a long time now and I understand that every game's a different game and every team is a different beast on their day. If you don't turn up with the right mindset anyone can beat anyone on their day. [But] maybe subconsciously a few of us may have thought it was going to be an easier game, especially coming off a comprehensive win over the Dogs."

The competitiveness of the NRL is almost unparalleled in world sport, shown last year when the top eight teams were separated by two points on the ladder. It's unforgiving, if any team is slightly off, and that is a mantra that has been drummed into the Warriors group over the last few years.

"It's a great lesson for the group, a great lesson for our leaders, for myself, to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands that [this] is a tough competition and you have to be ready to play every week," said Blair. "But I don't think it's a dangerous thing. We've learnt a lot of lessons … it's round two, coming up to round three. We were able to reflect on that game, the learnings, understand what everyone was thinking."

On that note, the team will be focussed on not dropping their standards against the winless Sea Eagles, tipped as one of the strugglers in 2019.

"This week is about focusing on us," said Blair. "Making sure we are in the right frame of mind to go out there and perform at our best. Every team is a tough team. If we get caught up in thinking — maybe like we did the week before Tigers — that they have lost two games, then we get caught up in that false impression that we can turn up and play well."

After a solid round one game on the edge, Blair struggled last Sunday in his new role. He made 42 metres from six carries, gave up a cheap penalty and threw some misdirected offloads, though he also contributed 30 tackles.

"We will play Adam this season where we best think it suits Adam and the team," said Kearney. "Nothing is fixed at this stage."