Tim Sheens was one of the first people to congratulate former Wests Tigers forward Shawn Blore for reaching the NRL grand final with the Melbourne Storm.
Blore started the pre-season with the Tigers before being moved to the Storm as part of a swap deal with Justin Olam.
The 24-year-old met with Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy last year and was keen to join the club, only for the Tigers to have a change of heart and block the move.
But Blore was eventually granted his wish to head south, and Sheens, the veteran coach sacked by the Tigers last year, was proud of the back-rower for moving to within 80 minutes of a title dream. Sheens signed Blore to an extension after he missed the 2022 season with a ruptured ACL.
As Blore celebrated with his Storm teammates on Friday, he confirmed Sheens sent him the following message: “Congrats Shawn, just think, two years ago after your injuries how down you felt. You’ve done a great job working your way back and deserve every reward that is coming to you. To the number 1 ‘Bruise Brother’.”
Shawn Blore tries to break a Connor Watson tackle.Credit: Getty Images
“Sheensy, what a legend,” Blore said. “He was always kind and had time for me. It was a tough year for him and the Tigers [last year].
“It’s been a weird journey, that’s for sure. To go from where we were last year to where we are now, I’m usually mentally checked out at this time of year.
“This squad has got me wanting more.
“Right now it doesn’t feel real. I feel like my parents are riding the wave more than me. My dad [Gavin] had a tear in his eye when the game ended [on Friday night].
“[This time last year] I was probably on the beers somewhere with the boys, playing golf. I wouldn’t have been thinking about footy at all.
Blore is well held by future Storm teammate – and pen pal – Cameron Munster.Credit: Getty Images
“To come to this moment now, I can’t put it into words.”
Blore got to a point after Christmas where he thought the Melbourne move was off the table, and coach Benji Marshall could not shed any light.
“It was on, then it was off, then it was on again,” Blore said. “I remember speaking to Benji midway through the pre-season, saying, ‘What’s happening, what’s going on?
“I asked him if it was [happening]. I didn’t want to risk an injury if I was going to a new club. He said, ‘No problem’. Then it dragged on, and I thought it won’t happen.”
When the move finally happened, Blore said he was sent straight to Geelong for a training camp and was so exhausted on the first day, “I was having hallucinations on the field because of how tough it was”.
“The amount of time they train, the hard work, the standards they demand from training, you can see why they are there every year,” Blore said about the Storm.
“I thought under Benji it was one of the toughest pre-seasons I’d seen. The Tigers boys were fit, they were just young. I back them to turn it around. Lachie Galvin has come out of nowhere. It just takes time.”
Luke Garner swapped the Tigers and a wooden spoon at the end of 2022 for the Panthers and a premiership ring in 2023 – and now Blore has the chance to complete the same last-to-first turnaround.
He has made the left back-row position his own, and had his confidence boosted by five-eighth Cameron Munster.
The Storm players had to pick one player to send a hand-written gratitude letter midway through the year, and Munster nominated Blore, telling him how important he was to their left edge and title dream.
“I felt like I belonged in the team, that they valued me, and that’s all I needed to hear,” Blore said.
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