Bennett won't curb Blair's aggression

Wayne Bennett won't be asking controversial Brisbane prop Adam Blair to curb his aggression upon his NRL return from suspension on Friday night.

It would be fair to say Wayne Bennett won't be asking controversial Brisbane prop Adam Blair to curb his aggression upon his NRL return from suspension.

Bennett did not have to be reminded that all eyes would be on Blair in Friday night's sold out NRL grand final re-match in Townsville coming back from a one-match ban.

Blair was called "one of the dirtiest players" by Broncos great Gorden Tallis for earning suspension for a chicken wing tackle on Kangaroo Sam Thaiday - his own Brisbane teammate - in the trans-Tasman Test.

His return prompted North Queensland coach Paul Green to implore officials for more playmaker protection and to keep an eye on Blair's sometimes questionable tactics.

But asked what he thought of officials cracking down on Blair, Bennett said: "Best of luck."

Bennett said he had no problem with Blair's aggressive approach, despite him earning two suspensions to date this season.

Besides the Thaiday tackle, Blair copped a one-game suspension for a high shot on Adam Reynolds in round eight, sparking fears the South Sydney playmaker had broken his jaw.

"It's a fine line sometimes, if you go over it, they pick it up," Bennett said.

"He has had two of those (suspensions).

"(But) he knows what I want, and he knows what I will tolerate."

Asked if playmakers should be better protected, Bennett said: "They get protected, but you can't take the ball to the line and not expect to get tackled.

"If that happens, we won't have a game. We will all be playing touch."


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Source: AAP



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