No grudge match for Blair: Sheens

Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has rubbished suggestions that Adam Blair will be looking for vengeance against Manly on Friday.

Former Melbourne prop Blair, who signed for the Tigers in the off-season, was dismissed for fighting along with Manly’s Glenn Stewart during a spiteful round 24 encounter between the Storm and the Sea Eagles last year.

The resulting mass brawl, involving both teams, was coined the ‘Battle of Brookvale’ and re-ignited the intense rivalry between the clubs.

But the chances of Blair concerning himself with settling old scores in Friday’s clash at Gosford are unlikely according to Sheens, who accused the media of ‘paper hype’.

“I’ve said nothing to him,” Sheens said.

“We haven’t even discussed it quite honest. We haven’t even discussed Manly as a team yet.’’

“It is all just paper hype. It fizzled out last week and it will fizzle out this week.

“You [the media] pushed it last year when we were going up there that Manly and us didn’t like each other and that fizzled out as well.

“It’s football, it is business as usual for us and for Manly, it is the same. It is a valuable two points and I’m more focused on that rather than worrying about what happened last year.”