Maurice Blair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Maurice Blair

Personal information
Full name	Maurice Blair
Born	(1984-10-16) 16 October 1984 (age 40) Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	98 kg (15 st 6 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Centre, Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2007–10 Penrith Panthers 48 10 0 0 40 2011–13 Melbourne Storm 36 13 1 0 54 2014 Gold Coast Titans 15 1 0 0 0 2015–18 Hull Kingston Rovers 117 21 1 0 86 Total 216 45 2 0 180 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2005 Queensland Residents 1 0 0 0 0 2008 Indigenous All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
As of 4 January 2024

Maurice "Bobby" Blair is an amazing Indigenous Australian rugby league player. He was born on October 16, 1984. He has played for many big teams like the Penrith Panthers, Melbourne Storm, and Gold Coast Titans in Australia's National Rugby League (NRL). He also played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the UK's Super League. Maurice finished his career playing for the Northern Pride in the QRL State competition.

Maurice Blair's Rugby Journey

Maurice Blair, also known as "Bobby," was born in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. He started playing rugby league when he was young. He played for the Maryborough Rovers as a junior. Later, he joined the Souths Logan Magpies team.

Playing for the Penrith Panthers (2007–2010)

Maurice started his professional career in 2007. He made his first big game appearance for the Penrith Panthers. This was in round 15 of the NRL season. He played against the New Zealand Warriors.

In his first year, he played nine games for the Panthers. He scored six tries, which is a great start!

Playing for the Melbourne Storm (2011–2013)

In 2011, Maurice joined the Melbourne Storm. He made his first appearance for the Storm against the Brisbane Broncos. For his first two years, he played some games for the main team.

In the 2014 NRL season, he played in Melbourne's final games. He even scored a try in an important elimination final. This was against the Newcastle Knights.

Playing for the Gold Coast Titans (2014)

After his time with the Storm, Maurice moved to the Gold Coast Titans. He played for them during the 2014 NRL season.

Playing for Hull Kingston Rovers (2015–2018)

On October 18, 2014, Maurice signed a two-year contract. He moved to England to play for Hull Kingston Rovers. This team is part of the Super League. He played his first game for them on February 8, 2015.

That same year, he helped his team reach the 2015 Challenge Cup Final. Even though they lost, it was a big achievement.

Maurice Blair training with the Indigenous All Stars in 2008.

Awards and Achievements in Hull

In 2016, Maurice was named Hull Kingston Rovers' 'Player of the Year'. This shows how important he was to the team. However, the team was moved down from the Super League that year. They lost a very close game called the Million Pound Game.

Just one year later, Maurice helped his team win promotion back to the Super League. They got back to the top league very quickly! In 2018, he played his 100th game for Hull Kingston Rovers.

His last game for the team was on September 30, 2018. It was a great farewell, as they won 30–0. Maurice was even named 'Man of the Match' for his amazing effort.

Playing for Northern Pride (2019)

In 2019, Maurice signed a contract to play for the Northern Pride. This team plays in the QRL State competition, also known as the Queensland Cup. Maurice retired from playing at the end of the 2019 season.

Representative Career

Maurice also played for special representative teams. In 2008, he played for the Indigenous All Stars team. He played as a centre. They won their game against the New Zealand Māori team. This game was part of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup Opening Ceremony.

Honours and Awards

Maurice received several awards during his time with Hull Kingston Rovers:

• 2016: Roger Millward – 'Player of the Year Award'
• 2018: Colin Hutton – 'Special Recognition Awards'
• 2018: Colin Hutton – 'Outstanding Contribution Award' (for his 100th appearance)