LEEDS RHINOS chief executive Gary Hetherington and head coach Rohan Smith have given their views on Blake Austin’s departure to Castleford Tigers.
Austin will spend the rest of the 2023 Super League season on loan at the Tigers and Smith admits that the move took him by surprise.
“It was a bit of a surprise to start with. I went to bed between 10.30pm and 11pm and when I started my walk in the morning, I turned my phone back on and had a message saying that it was likely a deal had been done with Cas,” Smith said.
“Through the early parts of this morning that was confirmed. It came as a bit of a surprise.
“I don’t know all of the processes in which it happened this close to the transfer deadline. I was supportive of the decision once I was briefed on it at 7 o clock this morning.
“I know there has been stuff on social media but I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs.”
Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington commented: “The move has all happened very quickly because of tomorrow’s transfer deadline. Blake requested a release yesterday, which Rohan and I have agreed to, and we wish him well in his next venture.
“The timing is not ideal for us as we have some crucial games coming up and need all our players firing together but we also have to be mindful of players’ personal circumstances and especially those, like Blake, who are out of contract soon and concerned about their future.”
