HAVING endured a difficult start to the 2022 Super League season with Leeds Rhinos, halfback Blake Austin is now firmly embedded within the side.
However, that might never have been the case had he agreed to a move to two other Super League clubs that were chasing him ahead of the 2022 season.
Now Austin has revealed who those two clubs were and why he ended up choosing Leeds and Headingley.
“I met with Hull KR at the time,” Austin said on the Trot the Egg In podcast. “I was really impressed with Tony Smith and what he was selling about the club.
“Leeds probably came in a bit late and my manager then told me Catalans came in for me two weeks after I signed with Leeds.”
Austin also revealed that the Rhinos had tried to sign him when he first came to the UK, but that the time now seemed right to move to Yorkshire.
“Leeds came in for me when I was coming to Warrington,” Austin continued. “When I was leaving Warrington, I wanted to make sure I went to another big club.
“At that point I was ready to jump over the Pennines and come to Yorkshire.”
Now Austin will be tasked with continuing the good work laid by the Rhinos in the latter half of the 2022 season under new head coach Rohan Smith.
Alongside Aidan Sezer, Austin formed a potent partnership which helped Leeds make the Grand Final.
