Brisbane enforcer Adam Blair has given an honest assessment of his side's 12-point win over the St George Illawarra Dragons, saying the Broncos were not at their best for most of the contest.
Wayne Bennett's men made it three wins in a row and five wins from their last six matches with a 24-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, but they did not have it all their own way.
The Dragons had the luxury of an 8-2 penalty count in their favour, as well as 55 per cent of possession and an impressive completion rate of 84 per cent.
Paul McGregor's men threw everything at the Broncos, particularly in the last 10 minutes when Brisbane were forced to defend on their goal line for a number of sets in a row.
It was this defence that helped the Broncos overcome some poor handling, with Brisbane making an uncharacteristically sloppy 11 errors.
Pushing the pass was something Blair himself was guilty of, and he said in the sheds after the match that he had to make up for it in defence.
"Energy and attitude [were the keys to the victory]. We weren’t our best so we needed to find something else," Blair said.
"We didn't manage the game well. We made a few errors that will cost us in the future when we come up against quality teams in the finals.
"We overcame all that by turning up as a group and putting in a lot of effort for each other."
The curtain may be closing on Blair's career at the Broncos as he weighs up a number of offers from rival clubs.
Although not off-contract until the end of 2018, the 31-year-old is approaching the end of his career and has received some large offers from a number of Brisbane's rivals.
It has prompted Bennett to offer Blair an early release from his contract if he wants one last payday before his retirement, but the decision is not coming easy for Blair who would love to end his career at Red Hill.
The New Zealand international is no closer to deciding his future, saying it is the hardest choice he has had to make during his 12-year career.
"It's a difficult decision and that's why it's taken so long. It's a hard one," Blair said.
"I don't know when it's going to be done. I want to make sure that whatever I do choose is the right choice.
"To be honest I think it's the hardest decision I've ever made in my footy career.
"It's going to take time. I've said all along that I never want to leave this place and that I thought I'd finish my career here."
