> Watch Jarryd Blair speak to CTV about his senior elevation on Friday after training

Hard work and extreme dedication has reaped rewards for young Magpie Jarryd Blair, after the club announced his elevation off the rookie list and onto the senior list during the week.??

Named as an emergency for Saturday night’s game against West Coast, the 20-year-old joined the senior side on Friday morning for the final session held at Gosch’s Paddock.??

“I have put in a lot of fitness work and stayed focus to try and get to this point,” Blair told CTV at Gosch’s Paddock.??

“Obviously the team is pretty strong at the moment and you never know what they (the coaches) are thinking but when I got the call up I was pretty happy.

“I was going through my tape with Rowdy (Gavin Brown) on Wednesday and Mick came in and said we are going to elevate you this week and hold you over as an emergency for the senior game.”??

When Blair arrived at the club via the 2008 rookie draft (overall no. 27), he quickly showcased his ball-winning ability from the outset.  Playing an inside-midfield role, Blair was named in the side’s best in round one, collecting 22 possessions and eight tackles.??

For the next 18 months Blair’s head-over-the-footy game style was on constant display at the VFL level. ??The tough onballer conceded that his hardness at the footy served as a double-edged sword, with the coaching staff wanting to see him find more outside possession.??

“The biggest thing for me was to play outside footy.  To win a bit inside but then to spread from those stoppages and get a few cheap kicks on the wing.”??

It wasn’t until Blair’s performance for Victoria in the state-representative match earlier in the year, proved to the coaching staff that he could handle the different role.

“I can back (from WA) feeling pretty good about myself.  I spoke to Rowdy and Bevo (Luke Beveridge - development manager) and they gave me a chance to play on the wing last week.  I didn’t get a heap of the footy but still worked on that outside stuff and its all been positive.”??

When the time came to spread the word of his elevation to family and friends, Blair was forced to make one of the toughest decisions of his young career. 

“It was a dead heat between my mum and my girlfriend.”

When questioned on who he called first, Blair was quick to respond.

“My mum”.