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Now 23 years old and four years removed from his NRL debut, Shawn Blore is primed for a big season with the Melbourne Storm.
I sent the message out for a few topics, and one appealed to me straight away:
There are the obvious reasons for being excited about Shawn Blore.
He seems to finally be fit and ready for footy after managing only 33 games since making his debut for the Wests Tigers in 2020. In that time, he continued to grow into his 188 cm and 107 kg frame without losing his aggression. It’s safe to assume that with his knee injuries, he lost some speed, but Blore still looks quick and good on his feet.
The mention of his name also allows me to revisit one of my favourite quotes in NRL history:
“I’m honoured he even wanted to run it straight at me.”
Blore made a name for himself on debut and went toe-to-toe with one of the hardest in the game at the time, Nathan Brown.
He shot out and landed on Brown with a strong tackle late in the game.
Brown played for the penalty but quickly returned to full strength upon hearing the whistle. Not wanting to end the game being manhandled by a 19-year-old, he lined up Blore on the tap, going out of his way – and outside of the structure, by the looks of Mitchell Moses’ reaction – to run at the youngster.
Once again, Blore stood strong.
We’ve not seen enough of Blore since. There has always been an injury concern or element of inconsistency to what we have seen.
Now, however, he’s in what many would consider the perfect landing spot.
It’s a ‘staff writers’ dream scenario. Provided he kicks on in the way many expect, he hits the rare ‘How did the Tigers let him go?’ and ‘The Storm have found another diamond in the rough’ double.
We didn’t get to see what he’s capable of in attack all that often with the Tigers last year. Given their struggles, he was used more as a battering ram in yardage:
You’ll notice here that he brings four into the tackle and leaves the third defender struggling to get back into the line when he plays the ball. Blore runs with the sort of power Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes, in particular, can thrive behind.
Whether he’s playing on the edge or in the middle, his combination with Harry Grant around the ruck on the goal line is something to keep an eye on, too.
The timing feels right for Blore. A change of scenery isn’t always the magic trick, but as we’ve so often seen with players who have shown glimpses without kicking on, the Melbourne scenery can do the trick.
There are spots up for grabs in the Storm 17, and Blore’s versatility will serve him well. If he’s able to crack the squad and consistently get out on the field, he’s in for a big year.