Maurice Blair hailed by Jamie Peacock for standing by relegated Hull KR

Securing the versatile Australian, who is such a force at both second-row and in the halves, is another major boost for Rovers after influential hooker Shaun Lunt confirmed last week he would not be departing either.

Blair, 32, has been a revelation for the Robins since joining from Gold Coast Titans at the end of 2014 and could easily have attracted plenty of interest from rival Super League clubs after they were demoted to the Championship.

But, after picking up the inaugural Roger Millward Player of the Year award in the days before their Million Pound Game defeat to Salford Red Devils, he said he’d like to “finish his career” with Hull KR and, clearly, that stance has not changed.

“Bobby is a man of real loyalty and integrity and he was on board straight away when we opened discussions about next season,” said head of rugby Peacock.

“To retain our reigning Player of the Year is a real statement of intent ahead of 2017 and for Bobby to agree to a longer term contract with the club than he initially had is tremendous commitment from him also.

“We have the opportunity now to reshape the squad slightly for next season but it’s important that we also plan ahead beyond 2017 and securing another key player for the next few years provides much needed stability moving forward.

“Bobby’s impact on the field is obvious with his consistency and ability to cover a number of positions, but off the field he is also a dependable professional who buys into what playing for Hull Kingston Rovers is all about.”