So he wasn’t surprised when Blair was selected in the final team for their upcoming two-game tour.

Blair will line up in the number two jersey against the Australian Defence Force on October 9 in Ipswich.

The side then travels to Port Moresby to face off with the Papua New Guinea Digicell Cup representative side on October 14.

Kemp said the selection in the side for the livewire fullback was reward for a lot of effort.

“He’s been a standout in our comp for a couple of years and I was a little bit surprised he didn’t make it in the first instance, but we’re very happy for him as a club,” the coach said.

The Breakers will benefit from Blair playing at a higher level with the Kempsey-born product expected to go to another level in 2019.

“He’ll learn a lot,” Kemp said.

“He’ll have some different approaches from coaches, different players and he’ll bring that back to us and teach us so it’s fantastic.

“It’s education, isn’t it?

“Playing at a higher level with better players, I’ve got no doubt he’ll bring something back and we can feed off that.”

Kemp admitted his fullback was a confidence player and selection in the team would only further boost his confidence.

“When he’s in the mood and feeling confident he’s as good as it gets,” he said.

“He’s a little freak, but he’s matured a lot off the field as well.

“I’ve got no doubt he will do well, he’s been training hard and he’ll come back and then get stuck into our pre-season.”

The Breakers custodian isn’t accustomed to the wing position but he’s willing to take on the role to play for the prestigious side.

“I’ve played there a few times in the past but it has been a while,” Blair told Fairfax Media.

“I don’t really like it but I will have to adjust to the position and I am happy to play there to be a part of the team.”

Blair arrived in Sydney on Friday to commence a three-day training camp and he’s hopeful of gaining valuable knowledge from the Country coaches.

“I am hoping to gain experience and learn from different people,” Blair said.

“It’s a great opportunity to play alongside the best players in country footy.”

Blair has maintained a high level of training since the Group 3 season ended a month ago in preparation for the tour.

A handful of Breakers players have already started informal pre-season training as they aim to atone for their 2018 grand final loss in 2019.

“Informally there’s a group that’s started already, you can’t stop them these days,” Kemp said.