Adam Blair accuses Raiders of pressuring NRL players to withdraw from All Stars games.
Maori coach Adam Blair has accused the Canberra Raiders of pressuring players to withdraw from NRL All Stars games, sparking a debate about the fixture's place on the calendar.
Blair says Joe Tapine would have been one of the first picked for the Maori All Stars - who beat their Indigenous counterparts 10-6 on Saturday night - until the Raiders captain put his club first ahead of the NRL season opener in Las Vegas.
Tapine has captained the Maori All Stars three times but withdrew from this year's fixture, declaring he "had to listen to the body" and "put my best foot forward for the Raiders".